Review #500 : Boyhood (2014)

Boyhood Movie Review

Plot: The metamorphosis of Mason & his elder sister, children of divorced parents living with their mother is showcased over a 13 year time frame as Mason grows from 5 to 18. The general situations faced by kids and teens are brought to picture in addition to the specificities children with divorced parents may have to deal with. It transcends cultural barriers to show how rapidly focus and interests transition as a kid moves through the toddler & teen phases of life!

What Works?

• Richard Linklater has fascinated us with films (including the Before Trilogy) where interesting conversations have been the backbone & in Boyhood, he takes it a few notches higher by going with a larger time frame & getting out from ‘romance’ to ‘growing up’.
• The fact that the film was shot for 14 years and used the same cast for the entire time frame is as startling as it allows us to appreciate the painstaking processes that must have gone behind  the scenes.
• Ellar Coltrane, the lad who plays Mason, should feel lucky as he has had the privilege of working with a quality film-maker for a dozen years! It doesn’t feel like he was performing as he just lives through his transitions.
• The supporting cast led by Linklater’s favourite Ethan Hawke make its presence felt with specific scenes that make the viewer relate to them. The climax scene where the Mother breaks down about the purposelessness of her life as Mason is unperturbed with his move to college is a thunderous depiction of the perceptions of 2 generations!
• Dialogues play a pivotal role in Boyhood – The dialogues between the father & the son, the idea of Humans being Cyborgs conveyed by Mason & his scene with the professor at the Dark Room in high school stand out!
• The technical crew deserves a wave for staying committed to the film for such a long time & not showing any inconsistencies over its making

What Doesn't?

• This is pure realistic cinema (at its most literal sense having been filmed for 14 yrs) without any filmic  flavours  or over the top sentiments because of which it may not make an impact on viewers who cannot relate to it

In a Nutshell
Had any of our lives from 5 to 18 been filmed, edited and presented, such a film would have at least one scene that matches with Boyhood. The film hits you with a whiff of Nostalgia when you don’t expect it to & that is the film’s achievement.

Trailblazing Time capsule