Boyhood (2014)
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Boyhood Movie Review
Boyhood is a 2014 teen drama film directed by Richard Linklater and starring Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke. It’s simply a brilliant achievement.
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“You know how everyone’s always saying seize the moment?
I don’t know, I’m kinda thinking it’s the other way around.
You know, like the moment seizes us“
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It depicts the childhood and adolescence of Mason Evans Jr. from ages six to eighteen as he grows up in Texas with divorced parents. There is a lot to talk about here so let’s first talk about the storytelling method which is very famous. Basically, the director filmed the picture from 2002 to 2014, and throughout those 12 years he used the same actors.
Needless to say, it’s a groundbreaking achievement in filmmaking as it has never been done before. Yes, we saw Harry, Ron and Hermione grow up before our very eyes, but throughout the film series, not a single movie which is exactly what happens here to a profound, chilling effect.
However, despite this effect being the most memorable aspect of the movie and the most talked about, I would say it’s not the thing that defines it. What defines it is its extreme realism which is even more groundbreaking. The film is so thematically rich and so incredibly sophisticated so let’s unwrap it one by one.
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One of the themes that Linklater is quite obsessed with is the passage of time and this is the thing that this movie examines to its core, but never before has this theme been explored this truthfully. A lot of previous coming-of-age movies would portray a protagonist’s first kiss, him losing virginity and so on. This movie, however, is more concerned with the more mundane, more minor moments that happen in someone’s life, but still shape that person and his experiences.
Even more so, through its fragmented, but never too scattershot approach at storytelling, the film achieves an unprecedented feel – it showcases what it’s truly like being a human, having memories and growing up as well as growing old. The last quote about the moment ceasing you is thus profound and so truthful given that those small moments that happen in our lives instantly overwhelm us to the point that we never forget them. The film being presented in this fragmented fashion thus works wonders in showcasing how passage of time works in real life and not movies.
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In my opinion, the standout scene in the film is obviously the mother breaking down in tears while her child is leaving for college. This is the deepest, most heartbreaking moment that is all the more tragic having in mind that we all are to experience it at one point as it’s an inevitable fact of life. Seeing her come to terms with her life going so fast and the most important events already over is never manipulative or sappy, but truly touching which is a testament to amazing acting and superb dialogue.
The film also teaches us very importantly how talent means nothing in this world if you’re not going to work hard and make a name for yourself. The talentless, but persistent and forceful are always going to get ahead of the passive, talented people in this world. Also, pessimism, nihilism, personal regrets and unrealistic life expectations are just many of the other themes explored in this truly magnificent thinking piece.
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Mason is great and very relatable to me personally as I have had similar doubts about life and I still do about academic achievements and work in general. Thus, the scene where he is being gloomy about his upcoming faculty and the overall future rang true to me. He’s a very realistic, very well developed character.
I also really liked his sister and I wanted more of her in the film’s second half. Their sibling relationship is very realistically portrayed. I hated all of the mother’s other husbands which was the point as they portrayed how a seemingly sweet person can be revealed to be an asshole later on in marriage.
And of course, the parents are the best developed of the characters. Olivia’s story is again very tragic and all too real for many people who’ve experienced similar disappointments in life, but she is a genuinely inspiring person with her moment with that Latino guy whom she helped infinitely being so touching. As for Mason Sr, he is as smart as the rest of the family while also being the most lighthearted and fun of them all. Mason’s scenes with both of his parents are mostly the film’s highlights.
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The acting is top-notch. Ellar Coltrane was a revelation and a great casting as he did not change too much so following his transition to adulthood was very interesting. His performance gets better and better, becoming very strong toward the end. Ethan Hawke is as great as he always is, and he continues to be one of the most underrated actors of his generation. Patricia Arquette herself naturally stole the show, especially in that amazing scene, and her Oscar win is thus one of the most deserving of the century. Her performance is so raw and so natural that she needs to be copied by others as fast as possible.
Boyhood is a very personal movie to me as apart from its universal themes, it also features a protagonist who is of my generation and many of the immediate details of his growing up felt extremely nostalgic to me such as video games, songs and especially the Half-Blood Prince book premiere which was very moving to me.
The film is also stupendously scored with that beautiful number being repeated at always the best times in the narrative. The cinematography is terrific, the direction from Richard Linklater is nothing sort of revolutionary and the script and especially the dialogue are one of a kind. Consequently, it’s one of the best films of the decade and it losing the Oscar to ‘Birdman’ should once and for all cement the Academy as shamefully clueless when it comes to picking the true classics for the award.
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Boyhood is a brilliant, truly groundbreaking movie in its 12-year filming period which resulted in the protagonist literally growing up before our very eyes. However, that’s not the most brilliant aspect to this masterpiece. Its themes and realism are. Unlike all other coming-of-age movies, Boyhood truly gets what it’s like growing up, growing old and how passage of time and memory truly work in us humans as it portrays not the regular, important events of one’s life, but the more minor, but still significant moments that are meaningful and help shape a person. It is one of the smartest films ever made as it explores passage of time, regrets, life disappointments, unrealistic expectations, nihilism and so much more in a brutally honest manner. The picture is also stupendously filmed, scored and acted with Patricia Arquette’s performance being revelatory. That scene of hers where she breaks down in tears over how her life is moving so fast is all the more tragic how real and raw it is. The script and dialogue are tremendous, offering so many thought-provoking, sophisticated quotes. As a result, Boyhood is Richard Linklater’s magnum opus that only gets better upon subsequent viewings. It truly is one of the greatest movies in film history.
