Boyhood (2014)
Right off the bat, I must state that Richard Linklater’s Boyhood (2014) is extremely moving. It’s full of heart, soul, and beauty and hits all the marks. Boyhood was shot in a 12 year period, 2001-2013, following Mason Evans Jr (Ellar Coltrane) from ages 6 to 18. The film shadows Mason, his family and friends as they all grow and mature in Texas. The film is simple in its nature, yet deals head on with the issues that come with divorced parents, abusive relationships, and the aches and pains of simply getting older.
There’s never been anything quite like Boyhood, a film shot with the same cast over a 12 period is ambitious and quite frankly unheard of, but Linklater made it work. The dialogue is outstanding, especially between the adolescent characters. As a teenager myself, hearing them speak was so entertaining because it’s relatable without being over the top. According to Linklater, none of the actors were improvising, yet some scenes like the conversation between Mason’s parents at his graduation party were written the same day of shooting.
The best thing about this film is that it doesn’t feel like a movie with actors, it feels real people living their lives. In a world where advertisements for Hollywood blockbusters are everywhere from the billboards on the side of the highway to our Instagram feeds, it’s really refreshing to see characters and situations that are more tangible to the general public. Linklater wrote and directed the film, and much of the screenplay is based on his own life. Linklater grew up in Texas with divorced parents, similar to main character Mason.
It’s not often that you stumble across a movie like Boyhood. By the end of the film, you truly feel that you have not only watched a boy grow up, but that you have grown up with him. This is a movie that understands the simultaneous complexity and simplicity of human nature. This movie is executed with elegance and a sense of effortlessness and I recommend that everyone grab some popcorn and settle in to watch this visionary motion picture.
