FILM REVIEW: "Boyhood" (directed by Richard Linklater)

FILM REVIEW: “Boyhood” (directed by Richard Linklater)

August 26, 2014 0 Comments

by Phil Hogan…

The coming-of-age story has been a sub-genre in films that repeatedly covers familiar territory. The approach to this subject in Richard Linklater’s latest movie “Boyhood” is more ambitious than other films about growing up, but at the same time manages to be extremely nonchalant in its depictions of life through the years. “Boyhood” is perfectly summed up when the main character observes near the end of the film that life is about the moments.

Filmed with the same group of actors on and off between 2002 and 2013, “Boyhood” tells the story of Mason (played over the years by Ellar Coltrane) as he grows up in a single parent home with his mom (Patricia Arquette at her very best) and older sister. Ethan Hawke pops up over the years as Mason’s biological father who provides entertainment and occasional wisdom, while growing as a person in his own way throughout this intimate epic.

Opening with the guitar sounds of Coldplay’s “Yellow”, Linklater reminds us immediately that he directed “Dazed and Confused” and “School of Rock” and knows how to assemble a good soundtrack. The music in “Boyhood” is very eclectic, serving both to showcase what might have been popular that year of filming and also how a person’s taste changes as they get older and are influenced by their friends and family.

This is not a melodrama. There are intense sequences as well as emotional ones, but the perspective of “Boyhood” is that of a fly on the wall. The passage of time is apparent, and reminds the viewer of how fast it all goes. Almost anyone could watch this nearly three hour film and relate to some aspect of it, whether from the point of view of growing up or being a parent. The way in which it was filmed over that period of time is very unique and provides a closer connection to the characters that most films of this sub-genre try so hard to but never really grasp.

The length of the film mixed with its observational approach might turn many viewers away, but what you get from this film depends entirely on who you are. I think it’s worth seeing for the structure and soundtrack alone, but what you can take away from it is more powerful than any other coming-of-age story out there.