Twelve years. That’s how long it took Director Richard Linklater to make “Boyhood.” And it is masterpiece of a film.
“Boyhood” is a coming-of-age tale centered around Mason Evans Jr. (Ellar Coltrane), his older sister Samantha (Lorelei Linklater), his mother Olivia (Patricia Arquette) and his father Mason Evans Sr. (Ethan Hawke). The film was shot between 2002 and 2014, so each of the principal characters was filmed in real-time through a 12-year period — Mason Jr., for example, begins the film at age five and ends the film 18-years-old. Watching characters age — watching life — proves extremely compelling.
The Evans family is a broken one. Mason’s and Samantha’s parents are split up. Finances are shaky. Olivia suffers from domestic abuse, and subsequently goes through two divorces. Yet though there are an abundance of films focused on dysfunctional families, “Boyhood” presents something inherently unique.
Its loosely structured narrative gives the film a strikingly authentic feel. At times, I almost felt as if I were watching a documentary or a reality TV show rather than a scripted drama. Watching the events of the Evans family unfold was like watching the Loud family from 1970s reality show “An American Family.” But while “An American Family” spread out 300 hours of raw footage across 12 episodes, “Boyhood” manages to successfully crunch 12 years into a singular two-and a-half-hour block.
Transitions between the scenes (and years) are impeccably fluid. Mason goes from a chubby prepubescent boy to a tall, handsome teenager in a matter of moments, with little indication time has passed but for his appearance. The only hints to the film’s timestamp in any given moment come from pop culture references, with nods to Britney Spears, the “Harry Potter” books, various video game systems, Soulja Boy’s “Crank That,” Facebook, Lady Gaga, “Twilight,” the MacBook Pro and Facetime. While watching the movie, it was wholly enjoyable to anticipate what pop culture reference would come up next.
The actors, meanwhile gave strong, intimate performances. There was no superfluity of emotion. Everything just felt real — maybe the best word to describe the “Boyhood” experience as a whole. It is no wonder the film has achieved such widespread critical acclaim.
Despite its R rating (though, in my opinion, it should be PG-13), “Boyhood” is a family film at heart — and a great one at that. The film explores an important idea: no matter how messed up or disappointing life can become, there are always people who will love and support you. Family is a constant, be it nuclear or not.
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