YMMV / Boy A

• Alternative Character Interpretation: What involvement did Jack actually have in Angela’s murder, if any? It’s clear that Philip led him on but was he an active participant in the killing in any way or was he just caught in the wrong place at the worst possible time? Was he a wilful participant or was he just taking part to appease Philip and not let down his only friend?
  • Considering that he saved a little girl’s life by cutting her out of a car wreck with a knife, did Jack try to do the same thing with Angela, only to get pinned for the crime anyway when his fingerprints were found on the knife? There were no witnesses at the scene of the murder either, so his getting convicted for the crime despite ultimately being innocent would sadly still be realistic.
• Values Resonance: The plot of a man getting his life destroyed by public opinion has become depressingly more relevant in wake of Cancel Culture in the late 2010s.
• The Woobie: Jack. For a lot of people, the idea of feeling pity for an ex-con with a childhood murder under his belt might be off-putting or even downright inconceivable, but Andrew Garfield portrays Jack with such innocence and tender sympathy it’s honestly impossible not to feel sorry for him and even root for him as he attempts to lead a good, decent life with the shadow of his past haunting him at every turn. Unfortunately, per the Downer Ending, Jack’s newfound happiness does not last long.

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