Let me get one thing out of the way right away: Boyhood is that movie that they filmed over the course of twelve years with the same actors. Yes, it’s the much talked about production that has probably never been done for a fictional film before, but don’t think about the concept as a gimmick. The mechanics of it are mind-boggling, sure, but what is so remarkable about Boyhood isn’t just how it was made but how it made me feel the second it was over. The only thing I can say about the long production history of this movie is that it really worked. I mean, it worked extremely well. Boyhood is quite possibly the most authentic, realistic and honest movie I’ve ever seen. Director Richard Linklater (who also directed Dazed and Confused, Bernie, Slacker, Before Sunset and many, many other great films) may have made the best movie of his career in this stunningly meaningful and strangely profound piece of work. Boyhood is truly something to behold, although it may not be for everybody.
Boyhood doesn’t really have a central story or conflict. Nope, Boyhood is just a movie about a child growing up and eventually moving to college. The entire movie is a collection of scenes that show the main character, named Mason, growing up with his mother (who is in and out of not-so-great relationships) and his father (who is a very liberal, live-in-the-moment type guy). Along the path of their lives, Mason and his sister Samantha meet many people. They make friends, go through all of the different ins and outs of adolescence, have big and small experiences and grow up and move forward in their lives. Quite honestly, Boyhood is stunning in how little it actually does in terms of what is traditionally expected of in a movie. By the end of Boyhood I really felt like I grew up with Mason and his family.
One of the most remarkable things about Boyhood is the sense of realism it portrays. The way it was filmed using the same actors over the course of twelve years pays off big time. Just imagine it this way, there was no need for props, look-alike actors, or any special effects of any kind. Since everything was filmed in the moment from 2002 to 2013, everything is as real as it was in actuality. The sense of practicality this gave me was very unique and moving. You don’t just see Mason grow up, you see the entire family and everybody around them grow up. Since all of the actors remained the same throughout production, it’s clear that their real life experiences aided in how their characters act. All of the experiences have a heightened sense of reality as a result and I found it incredibly enjoyable. Luckily the movie has plenty of drama and humor to make it a constantly engaging experience as well as a unique one. Despite Boyhood’s lengthy runtime (nearly three hours) I was never bored and was actually quite sad when it ended.
So a huge part of what makes this movie successful are the performances. Ellar Coltrane is Mason, and he is quite good in the movie. I would argue that his character isn’t particularly “deep” in the cinematic sense, but that isn’t really what Linklater was going for with this film. Really, none of the characters are interesting in a “deep” way. Instead, they feel like real people. Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke play the parents and Lorelei Linklater (the director’s real life daughter) plays his sister. All of them are great in their roles (Arquette being the standout) and evolve naturally and believably through the movie’s runtime. What makes these characters so special isn’t how “deep” or interesting they are, but how real they are. Boyhood aims to portray real life people in the most believable way possible. While the film undoubtably succeeds in showing life on screen, I do think that this also may be counter active to the enjoyment of some people.
When I say that this movie is realistic, I really mean it. So I wanted to take a moment to talk about why I think a lot of people might not like this movie. Like I already mentioned, Boyhood doesn’t really have a story. This isn’t the first time Richard Linklater has made a movie like this (see Waking Life or Dazed and Confused), but it’s the most dramatically narrative-less of them all. I think a lot of people will walk away from this feeling completely bored. If you need a conflict or story in your movies, Boyhood is going to be a struggle. Also, Boyhood shoots to portray life growing up in the United States in a modern era. More specifically, it shows the upbringing of a middle-class, white, American boy. I don’t have a hard time imagining a lot of people thinking “who cares?” when watching Boyhood. If the idea of watching a boy grow up, have pretty standard life experiences, turn into an artistically-inclined teenager, go to college and generally be happy seems pointless or even irritating, you probably aren’t going to enjoy this movie. In other words, I don’t think this movie is for everybody but it certainly doesn’t pretend to be either. That’s a major strength of this film, it is what it is and plays it completely straight. For better or for worse, that’s Boyhood.
Boyhood absolutely stunned me. I really enjoyed myself while I was watching this film, but the weight of it didn’t hit me until after it ended. In more ways than one I related to the main character and many elements of his life growing up. Director Richard Linklater did a very daring thing by filming this movie the way he did, but in the end the decision resulted in one of the most authentic movies I’ve ever seen. Boyhood truly isn’t like anything I’ve seen before. It’s lack of narrative and unflinching honesty might turn a lot of people off from enjoying this, but I was totally enamored. Boyhood feels like a big step forward for modern movie making. This type of commitment is extremely rare in the art of movie making. I can’t wait to see it again and re-live the experience. Boyhood is a movie that is meant to be reflected upon, and one that caused me to reflect deeply on my own life.
10/10
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