tMF | The Movie-Fanatic

tMF is coming up with its list of 10 Best Performances from young actors. This Blog-a-thon will run this week and a final post will feature tMF's top choice. First on the list is Andrew Garfield who played Jack, a troubled teen haunted by a dark and sinister past, in John Crowley’s critically acclaimed Boy A.

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Watch the trailer and you'll see how impressive Garfield is! I also quoted from top critics what they thought of Garfield's portrayal.

Synopsis

Jack has a terrible secret.  He is really the notorious Boy A (Andrew Garfield) who committed a terrible crime when he was just a child.  Recently released from a juvenile prison, he enters a world he has never been part of.  He is haunted by his grim past, and is more a boy than a man at 24. 

His caseworker Terry (Peter Mullan) sees the good in him and does everything in his power to give Boy A a second chance.  Boy A chooses the name Jack and is set up with a job, a home and the opportunity for a new life. 

At his job he forms adult relationships for the first time.  He bonds with Chris (Shaun Evans) and finds a girlfriend in Michelle (Katie Lyons), both co-workers who witness Jack’s newfound compassion and loyalty.  Others are drawn to his shy, kind ways.  As relationships develop, he is torn between the deceit in concealing his past and the potential exoneration by revealing his crime.  Jack no longer doubts his capacity to love and has more to lose than ever.  He seeks Terry's approval to confess the truth to Michelle but is implored to keep his secret for fear of his own safety.

Spending 14 years in prison has done nothing to persuade the public he’s paid his dues.  Accompanying his release is a widespread, media frenzy which re-ignites public indignation.  The crime and trial are covered as current news and feed a hunger for revenge.  Although Jack bears little resemblance to the young Boy A, it becomes increasingly clear that the past may be impossible to escape.

Critical Acclaims

The NY Times Stephen Holden has this to say:

Mr. Garfield’s performance makes Jack so endearing and vulnerable that as he takes his first wobbly steps, like a baby bird shoved from its nest, your instincts are protective. When he goes out drinking with his co-workers, and swallows a tab of Ecstasy without knowing what it is, you worry that disaster is imminent. Later, when he comes to the rescue of Chris (Shaun Evans), his closest friend at work, in a drunken rooftop brawl, the movie portrays his violent intervention as brave and not as a scary reversion to previous behavior.

Most important is Jack’s developing relationship with Michelle (Katie Lyons), the grounded, no-nonsense secretary at his job. Every step of that courtship, from gathering the courage to ask her out to their first kiss, is a major personal leap forward. But as Jack’s heart opens, he longs to tell Michelle about his past and clear the slate.[ read more ]

From Ruthe Stein @San Francisco Chronicles:

Garfield projects an innocence unusual for an ex-con. His inherent sweetness makes him easy to like - partly because you don't know the nature of his crime. Screenwriter Mark O'Rowe dribbles out pieces of information. The puzzle isn't complete until near the end.

It's an ingenious dramatic ploy because it allows Jack to win over the audience just as he wins over people at the delivery company where he's sent to work in Manchester, England. They know nothing about him other than that he did time. [ read more ]

About Andrew Garfield

Garfield was actually born in Los Angeles, but was brought to Surrey as a toddler by his American father and British mother. Says Andrew on acting:

‘Acting came from me being depressed,’ says Garfield. ‘I was a gymnast and swimmer until 13. Then I gave sports up and started naval gazing. I needed something to keep me afloat, so my parents suggested acting classes. I took them and a very encouraging teacher suggested I could make a career out of it. As soon as that happened, I felt some kind of purpose.

For his performance in Boy A, Garfield picked up the Best Actor Award from the British Academy Television Awards (presented by BAFTA) and is definitely on Hollywood's short list of up-and-comers. Garfield is also one of Variety Magazine's '10 Actors to Watch' (2007).