Overview
A haunting exploration of redemption and the weight of the past unfolds as a young man seeks a fresh start.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- melancholic
- wrenching
- intimate
- serious drama night
- social issue film viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film's carefully crafted characters and career-making performances, especially Andrew Garfield's emotionally wrenching portrayal, while emphasizing its provocative moral ambiguity.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Jack's new life under an assumed identity is intercut with flashbacks that progressively reveal his former crime and its origins.
Jack receives a new identity, employment, friendships, and supervision yet remains constrained by his criminal history.
Jack's attempts to change are set against the heinous crime he committed as a boy, provoking debate about responsibility and forgiveness.
The small-scale production focuses on Jack's work, relationships, supervision, and new town through carefully crafted character-driven scenes.
Films like Boy A, and why
The Selfish Giant
shared themes of rehabilitation, concealed criminal history, and moral judgment in a bleak, intimate drama
Fish Tank
shared social realism, adolescent trauma, and emotionally wrenching examination of damaged young lives
The Shawshank Redemption
shared focus on a convicted man seeking reintegration, institutional stigma, and compassionate human connection
Mystic River
shared morally ambiguous character study, crime aftermath, and debate over culpability and redemption
Movie Details
- Director
- John Crowley
- Release Date
- 2008-07-23
- Runtime
- 106 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (513)
Cast
- Andrew Garfield
- Katie Lyons
- Peter Mullan
- Shaun Evans
- Siobhan Finneran
- Alfie Owen
- James Young
- Jeremy Swift
- Taylor Doherty
- Anthony Lewis
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Boy A about?
- A newly released young man builds a fragile life under a false identity while the childhood crime he cannot escape threatens every hard-won connection.
- What is Boy A like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Boy A as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Boy A violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Boy A as moderate.
- What did critics think of Boy A?
- Critics broadly praised the film's carefully crafted characters and career-making performances, especially Andrew Garfield's emotionally wrenching portrayal, while emphasizing its provocative moral ambiguity.
- Which films are like Boy A?
- Films with a similar feel include The Selfish Giant, Fish Tank, The Shawshank Redemption, and Mystic River.
- How long is Boy A?
- Boy A runs 106 minutes.
- Where can I watch Boy A?
- In United States, Boy A streams on Amazon Prime Video, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
