Rent Boy A on Amazon Video (paid link) // Buy the book (paid link)
Written by: Mark O'Rowe (screenplay by), Jonathan Trigell (from the novel by)
Directed by: John Crowley
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Peter Mullan, Shaun Evans, Siobhan Finneran
Rated: PG-13
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Plot
Jack has to deal with the anger and fear of the neighborhood when it's revealed he was recently released after serving a prison sentence for a violent crime he committed as a child.
Verdict
While well done, it is bleak. Jack tries to start over, but through the course of the movie Jack realizes that he'll never escape his past. This shows us just enough to keep us wondering. Despite the time served, I never thought Jack committed the crime. If he did, it's clear he has changed, but a crime like this can never be forgiven. From a public perspective, he'll never be rehabilitated and fit for society. For a brief moment he thought he had escaped the past, but that's a fleeting experience. His case is a salacious story for the press, and the public seeks his identity under the guise of security.
Watch It.
Review
This marked Andrew Garfield's film debut.
We're introduced to this kid Jack (Andrew Garfield). That's the name he chooses, as we wonder about his past and why he needs a new name. A social worker, Terry (Peter Mullan) helps him learn a new backstory as the police guard him. Through flashbacks we see Jack as a kid that was bullied in school. He meets a kindred spirit in Philip who seems like a bad influence.
In the present we find that Philip is dead. Jack asks Terry if Philip's death was a means of apology. What happened when they were kids or what did they do?
Jack gets a job, and while his coworkers know he spent time in jail, he states it was for stealing cars. We know it's more than that. The way the flashbacks are integrated, they seem like Jack's memories, these thoughts that are always floating in his head, a past that plague him. I wondered about his thoughts as he makes a friend at work and starts going out with a girl. We see that his past is never far removed.
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| Andrew Garfield, Peter Mullan play Jack, Terry |
The first half is Jack reintegrating into life after prison. The mystery is why he went to prison. It seems like he fell into the wrong crowd. What did he do? The press is trying to determine who "Boy A" is, publishing renderings of how he may look now. Jack was convicted of killing a girl. Since he and Philip were minors they were dubbed "Boy A" and "Boy B" during the trial. It was a salacious crime, and that's why Jack had to create a backstory. We find out that Philip was violently abused. It explains why he's prone to aggression. He reveals his abuse to Jack which is an incredibly vulnerable moment.
Jack and his coworker see a car accident and rescue a passenger. They're local heroes, but Jack understandably doesn't like the press. He also can't completely avoid it. He wants to tell his girlfriend about his past, but his social worker urges him not to. If anyone finds out, it could be detrimental.
Everything comes crumbling down. His past is revealed in the paper, his girlfriend goes missing, and his job fires him. Everyone shuns him. From the public's standpoint, he can never be rehabilitated. His crimes are too gruesome to forgive. From what we've seen of Jack, I'd guess Philip committed the murder, taking out his frustrations on someone that insulted him. Philip was deeply disturbed, but since we don't see the event, nor would I want to, we don't know what happened. Both of them were convicted of the crime. It's not an easy watch. Jack's outing is all the more tragic as the social worker's son does it out of jealousy.
Criminals don't always seem as innocent as Jack. His demeanor helps engender sympathy. Even at the end, we wonder about his involvement, but I don't think he did it. Without knowing him, you can't expect anyone to dismiss their fear of him. In the movie, those that know him distance themselves when they find out. Jack went from hero to villain. It doesn't matter what good deeds he does. He'll never be redeemed. He can't go back to isolation, and part of him realizes that he'll never escape the past.
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