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Critics Consensus: Small in scale but large in impact, Boy A's career making performances (particularly that by star Andrew Garfield) and carefully crafted characters defy judgment and aggressively provoke debate.
Critic Consensus: Small in scale but large in impact, Boy A's career making performances (particularly that by star Andrew Garfield) and carefully crafted characters defy judgment and aggressively provoke debate.
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All Critics (58) | Top Critics (28) | Fresh (51) | Rotten (7)
It makes us feel sympathy for the devil.
Director John Crowley, a veteran Irish theater director now working in film, is deliberate with every last element of his film.
Even its structurally weaker moments give Garfield an opportunity to expand on Jack's physical and mental dislocation. Given Boy A's final floating reel, it's an anchoring performance in every sense of the word.
The movie is taut with suspense but culminates in wise resignation as the hero comes to understand he's running from a part of himself.
Crowley gets a remarkable performance from Andrew Garfield: his Jack is a person who carries guilt with him even when he is trying to override it.
Boy A is one of those rare movies that takes the idea of rehabilitation seriously. In the end, it may present a worst-case scenario, but it does so with unusual depth and conviction.
Andrew Garfield nailed an assignment many actors would avoid or, worse, botch in "Boy A" - embody a grown, traumatized man experiencing emotional honesty, transparent kindness, sexual intimacy and genuine appreciation from others for the first time.
The material is thought-provoking and features some very good performances.
The limits of redemption and forgiveness get challenged ruthlessly in this haunting drama...
Efficiently directed by John Crowley, Boy A avoids exploitation while never soft-selling its thorny subject matter.
The genius of Garfield's performance is that he fills him with equal amounts of terror and wonder.
This is a brutally honest story that pulls no punches. It excels at everything from the directing and acting to the editing and photography. A stunning achievement
Relying on an excellent performance by Andrew Garfield and at first a thought-provoking film about guilt, atonement and the right to start over as a new person, after two intriguing acts it all soon ends in a contrived conclusion that is disappointing and insubstantial.
Super Reviewer
This film does everything that you wish a film would do. It takes the dark past of a murderer, turns him into a likeable character and makes you feel for him more than any other character. Andrew Garfield is astonishing in this film, in which sparked his career as an actor. In his first starring role, his performance feels very real and true. By the end of the film, you will have been captivated by every scene that there will be no possible way to dislike this movie. Not only do I love every second of "Boy A," but I it kept my thinking after the movie ended and I cannot wrap my mind around the brilliant conclusion, if you can even call it that. This film, in my eyes, is a masterpiece!
Loved it
A very interesting film where the director plays on the sympathy and likeness to character who has the past of a murderer. The idea of giving people a second chance in life is a common theme, and for the most part, the second chance is shown in a positive light. The twist in the movie comes from the question; with time should all crimes or mistakes be forgiven and forgotten no matter the scale? The film does not conclude with solid answers, but rather dwells on it's complex ideas.
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