I am a Richard Linklater fan, more so when he’s penning his work as well as directing like Dazed and Confused and the Before trilogy (the third of which I've still yet to see!). His outlook on life and in particular suburban America is always well toned and rather than being one-sided is always objective in the way he looks at his characters. He also has a great ear for music. Boyhood is a project that has been in the making for over a decade. The film charts the upbringing and growth of a young boy, Mason as he changes with age he faces the decisions and emotional difficulties of growing up with separated parents. There is definitely no film like this as we see snapshots of this boys upbringing with the cast around him also going through the same thing, when we first meet Mason, played by Ella Coltrane, he is 6 years old and by the end he’s just started at University, no tricks just good old fashioned ageing and obviously a great deal of patience on Linklater’s part.
The patience and the ambition has truly paid off. This is endearing work that in different hands might feel woefully long and boring. However the observations in the film such as the fads of the times Mason is brought up in, the big questions about life that crop up in his teenage years, that feeling of being a child and those definite moments you recognise from your own upbringing make for a enriching 2 hours and 20 minutes. Not only his own moments but the trials and tribulations of his separated parents, played brilliantly by Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke make this a film that all ages will relate to.
For the exception of one stand out character you always feel for the adults, who are also going through their ageing process as well as the children and dealing with it in different ways, sometimes with positive aspirational qualities and others with a misguided outlook on life, forcing their problems and regrets on young people.
The films lays things out plainly, no 2 years later subtitles, each stage has a small story to tell that’s part of a bigger picture and from one scene to the next you see how Mason changes. I enjoyed seeing these changes and you find yourself keeping an eye out for the moments when time skips ahead; I kept an eye on how regularly Mason's haircut changes.
Certainly there are moments that nod to American culture and some uninitiated may not recognise, however there is still something here for everyone. For me this film brought back a lot of memories, thoughts and feelings from when I was younger, especially since I spent a good deal of time in a America in my late teens and early 20’s.
My gears are regularly ground by cliches and emotional bribery in films where things just feel forced or are put on screen to look appealing or sexy. Linklater appears to know these are things that aren’t needed and in fact should be avoided at all costs, that families don’t talk everything out, that there may not always be that moment of ultimate emotionally recognition and that it’s a given that couples have sex and this in no way needs to be seen or exploited.
As far as ideas go this is truly original and will probably never have a cinematic equal. As a film it is interesting and thought provoking and heart warming, one I would definitely watch again and will stick in my memory for a long time. It may be quite a long yarn, but it’s worth telling as it gives definition to the difficulty and naivety of growing up.
On the blogging side of things I will attempt to endeavour in keeping this up . . . we shall see.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
