Reviewed by Rama Gaind.
Writer/director: Richard Linklater, IFC Films (US)/Universal Pictures.
Linklater’s extraordinary portrait of a young man’s coming-of-age, shot over a 12-year period, won three of the top Golden Globe Awards – including the coveted Best Motion Picture Drama and Best Director – after it was released eight years ago.
Filmed from 2002 to 2013, Boyhood depicts the childhood and adolescence of Mason Evans Jr. (Ellar Coltrane) from ages six to 18 as he grows up in Texas with divorced parents Mason and Olivia (Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette). Coltrane is brilliant as he unmistakably ‘grows up’ on screen, before our very eyes.
Richard Linklater’s daughter Lorelei plays Mason’s sister, Samantha.
The story charts the shaky adolescent landscape of familial segments. It’s about family outings and dinners, birthdays, graduations and all those significant other unequalled moments that fleetingly whizz by.
Through Mason’s eyes we see the delights and drawbacks of growing up. The key to Boyhood is how the viewers become a part of the quartet’s emergent awareness. Not only is it a wistful time ampoule of bygone years, but also a focus on parenting and growing up. The snapshots shed light on the parents’ disruptive parting of the ways and the young children provide a one-sided take.
As we watch the actors age on camera, this account takes us through the spirit of their developing standpoints. The soundtrack traverses the years with featured music from Coldplay’s Yellow to Arcade Fire’s Deep Blue.
Reminiscent of Linklater’s Before trilogy, this movie discovers the channel of time with an individual, logically moving technique that’s on an elevated level.
It also forces you to reflect on your own personal significant milestones.
- Boyhood is streaming on Netflix
