Fridae

The only thing worth watching this week is Boy A, a film whose excellence is obvious from the start. Every frame, every shot, every corner of a set, every emotion expressed, has been carefully orchestrated by director John Crowley, most famous perhaps for helming the successful theatrical productions of The Pillowman in London and New York.

John is a master at drawing the sadness and isolation of his main character, Boy A (Andrew Garfield), a young man with a dark past. Having just been released from prison, he tries to start anew, moving to a different city, taking on a factory job, meeting regularly with a caseworker, and falling in love with a local girl (Katie Lyons).

But when his co-workers find out that he was formerly convicted of killing a girl, they immediately turn against him, denying him any chance of starting over...

Boy A is an extraordinarily sensitive film with an extraordinarily sensitive central performance. Andrew Garfield, who once played the gay lead in a stage production of Beautiful Thing, embodies his character completely, from his dark intense stare to his permanently furrowed brow. And, if we may say so, he is strangely sexy in all his sadness.

Boy A is a finely-wrought film that offers very little joy, but a lot to admire.