Boyhood
This summer, famed writer and director Richard Linklater brought something both original and spectacular to cinemas across the nation. In his revolutionary new movie Boyhood, Linklater filmed the same cast of characters for a few weeks each year over the span of more than a decade.
Scene for scene, Boyhood feels unstructured and even underwhelming at times. Numerous compelling storylines begin, but all remain unaddressed by the end of the film. Certain vignettes introduce pseudo-themes in Mason’s youth, but none resurface. Linklater’s scripting lugs the viewer all over Texas, never really allowing him to settle with the faces and places of the towns Mason finds himself in throughout the film. The viewer feels lost and begins to lose interest in the events unfolding before them, just as Mason does. For any other movie, this would be a major weakness, but here, it’s Boyhood’s biggest strength.
Life is never a straight shot to what you want, and as the adults in Mason’s life begin throwing around loaded words like “future” and “college,” the tears, the victories, the friends and the enemies of the movie all finally add up… to exactly nothing. An actual plotline would be contrived as a mockery of what boyhood really is. Linklater’s project makes it all feel real: it makes that intangible absence of purpose during adolescence real.
Boyhood, in essence, is about learning to roll with the random and unconnected punches life throws at you. Linklater managed to bring this movie to the top of the charts without the cliche conflict and resolution of every other movie. Instead, he simply brings us a snapshot of another life, with its own unique ups and downs. Linklater’s Boyhood perfectly packages the experience and tops it off with the ribbon of a magnificent soundtrack.
What Linklater possesses that most other directors lack is the ability to capture real life through a camera. Known for the Before Sunrise trilogy and Dazed and Confused, Linklater never fails to impress his viewers with the personal dialogue and raw interactions between characters. Though he seems to have flawlessly and effortlessly pulled the pieces together in this film, he received help from arguably one of the best casts of the year.
With fantastic performances from Texas native Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke, the cast managed to assist Linklater in creating a classic. Coltrane, starting when he was seven years old and being filmed into his college years, showed his audience the confusion of growing up and learning about oneself. From abuse and divorce to drug use and romantic escapades, Linklater captured each frustrating ordeal’s effect on Mason’s life.
Soon after it’s release, “Boyhood” gained widespread acclaim and by August 3, less than a month after it’s release, the film had grossed $10.5 million worldwide. With some of the best movie ratings of 2014, the film impressed movie-goers and critics with its unparalleled commentary on the difficulties and complexities of life. If you’re looking for a unique and eye-opening experience, we’d highly recommend you give “Boyhood” a chance.