Suggested on a whim by my cinema buddy (who now has his very own tumblr and writes mini reviews - I am so proud of you man!), Boyhood was only showing at our local independent cinema, but it's Richard Linklater so how could I say no?
Boyhood is the first film of it's kind, where a six year old was cast in 2002 and the film was shot over 12 years. That might sound impressive, but you have to remember that it wasn't only the six year old that filmed the movie over the space of 12 years, everyone in the film did too! What an amazing project to be involved in.
It's utterly fascinating to me that they did this. I have often thought when watching films with young characters who grow up, for example, We Need To Talk About Kevin, where several actors played the role of Kevin, what it would be like if they just staged the shooting over a number of years and used the same actor. I should have known that Richard Linklater, who has always brought such realism to his movies, would be the one to pull this off.
As I said above, the film spans 12 years in the life of Mason, a six year old at the start, with your average set of childhood problems, not being able to concentrate in class, having parents who are divorced, and an older sister who is super annoying. Over the 12 years we see Mason cope with alcoholic step fathers, girlfriends, school, what he wants to do when he's older, responsibility, and ultimately discovering the kind of person he has grown up to be.
His life is not extraordinary, but the way that the story is told, using the same actors all the way through, really makes Boyhood stand out from the crowd.
It's emotionally engaging, it's funny, it's sad, it feels so real that it's kinda like reading someone else's diary.
The casting was absolutely key to this movie and Linklater has chosen his actors perfectly. I have loved Patricia Arquette since I saw True Romance around 20 years ago, and I cannot tell you how nice it is to see her finally do something so worthy of her ability as an actress. She has been underused for so long. Linklater regular Ethan Hawke also puts in a fine performance, but of course the film really belongs to Ellar Coltrane, who is mesmerising to watch as Mason.
The film is long at nearly 3 hours but unlike another 3 hour movie I watched recently, the time flew. The showing I attended was sold out, and I just got this feeling that the whole room was just as engaged and drawn in as I was. I don't think I have ever felt that before. The movie also got a very deserved round of applause at the end, which is also incredibly rare.
If Boyhood is showing in a cinema near you, I urge you to see it. It really is worth it. 10 out of 10.
Viewing Date - 12th July 2014
UK Release Date - 11th July 2014
Cast Overview:
Mason ~ Ellar Coltrane
Olivia (Mason's Mom) ~ Patricia Arquette
Mason Sr (Mason's Dad) ~ Ethan Hawke
Samantha ~ Lorelei Linklater
Director/Writer ~ Richard Linklater
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