Boy A

Mark O'Rowe discusses the adaption of the original book by Jonathan Trigell

On the original book by Jonathan Trigell

With regards to structure, the film is quite close to the book. When I read the book for the first time I found it terrifying for the first two chapters. You know that this guy Jack has done something appalling, but you don’t quite know what. So there is tension there. So what we did with the film was try to make the audience fall for the character of Jack before we reveal the truth of what he did or what he was convicted of doing.

On the characterisation of Jack

First you meet Jack and he’s just a sweet natured young guy. The structure of the film is important to the characterisation because you really get to know him and go on an emotional journey with him, so the viewer starts off on his side. In fact the audience spends almost all of the film with him before they find out about the horrifying crime that he has committed.

The film is pretty ambiguous about how complicit he was in the murder, but really it's not about the idea of ‘did he or didn’t he’ – he was there and he did collaborate – so it’s about what you as a viewer feel about him now, after getting to know him first and then finding out about the crime second. The tension is created between how we feel about him, and what we feel about what we find out he has done – and we need to like him as a character in order for that tension to work dramatically.

Then it’s all about whether you, as a viewer, change your feelings for him and whether having got to know him you can then forgive him, or not.

On the theme of redemption

I don’t think it’s a film about redemption, I think Boy A is more about giving someone a second chance. Jack has been in prison for 14 years, he has missed out on his formative years because of what he did. Had I wanted to show him ‘coming to terms’ with what he did then I would’ve changed the structure of the film and shown the crime earlier. But the story is about him discovering the world again. We don’t deal with his rehabilitation because that has already happened off screen. So when the story starts it’s actually about his second chance and him seeing if he can live in this world.

On collaborating with director John Crowley

Years ago John had seen a play of mine and liked it and got in touch with my agent. In the meantime, I was writing Intermission so, as I then knew he was interested in making his film directorial debut, I sent it on and he said he wanted to direct it. I find him a really exciting director to work with. I tend to describe action minimally in my scripts – I always start with dialogue first and the visuals come second. John has a fantastic manner and makes a writer feel part of it. I saw Boy A in various stages along the editing process, so I was pre-prepared for the final product.