Boyhood

Courtesy of IFC Films and Universal Pictures,

                This film is something altogether new, using space and time to its advantage. For Richard Linlater’s efforts, he has been given six Oscar nominations and, God willing, he will win more than one award tonight. This film isn’t just amazing for its size and scope, or the fact that it took twelve years to film, but also for what it covers in time. Because Linkater didn’t work with a linear story that had to be covered, the story could change, and had input from the lives of those acting in it, making it a completely unique film experience for both actor and audience.

            This is a story that isn’t anything revolutionary. Many other films have also covered teen romance, spousal abuse, divorce, music, love, and life, but none other has seriously looked at an entire childhood. No film has shown the inner workings of a child who slowly morphs into an adult. The film doesn’t cut quickly, and it doesn’t let you know what it has in mind. Shifting between twelve different filming periods seems like a ridiculous task, but the editing is seamless and nearly indistinct from the rest of the film.

            In a film like this, the first thing everyone looks at is the execution, and how it matches the level of acting from its leads. Ethan Hawke is an amazing actor, and his best assets are always highlighted in Linklater productions. In the beginning he is electric as the young father, bad at helping Olivia (Arquette) raise their two children, and yet amazingly solemn when we end. He bonds with his son, his hair greyed but the same cocky smile lighting up his tired face. Olivia (Arquette) balances between the lives of her children, the many loves of her life, and her own education. Ellar Coltrane is an electrifying actor, especially in his later years, fierce, passionate, and lovable as the rebellious and highly intelligent Mason Jr. His sister is played by Linklater’s real life daughter, Lorelei Linklater, who flits between whimsical child and sullen teenager. The cast is so brilliant, and yet it’s just as much about the writing, which elevates this film. Linklater has this amazing sense of people, and his dialogue often reflects his wonder of life, his love of the obscure and abstract, and his deep interest in family.

            When trying to describe this film for other people, they often want to know specifics about plot, tone, acting, costuming, soundtrack, and setting, but all these things are little more than background noise to the human interactions going on onscreen. These characters feel real, indelible and unmistakably real. The children act like children: they sing, and dance, and poke each other to elicit a response. They don’t like to do chores, and they have trouble in school. They are people too, and their lives matter, matter so much that they made an entire movie about it. As the actors change into older people, with their own values and opinions, the characters change too. Life is important, and childhood is important; values that this film triumphs to an astounding effect.

            If this film does not win an award, I would be both completely disappointed and flabbergasted.