Hello :-)
I missed Boyhood in cinemas last July but with it’s
raft of award nominations it’s back in cinemas riding a wave of publicity. I
decided to see what all the fuss was about.
Boyhood documents the life of Mason Evans Jr between the ages of
six and eighteen. That’s it, that’s literally it.
Obviously
summing this film up in one sentence does it a massive disservice because
whilst the premise is painfully simple the execution is superb. It’s a
beautiful exploration of youth in America during the ‘noughties’ and a broader
look at the ebb and flow of time.
It’s well
documented that the fact this film exists is remarkable. The idea that
something would be filmed over 12 years with the same cast opens this enterprise
up to so much uncertainty. With a studio system that favours safe bets and
calculated risks it’s nothing short of a miracle that Boyhood got made at all.
So much of
traditional modern cinema relies on narrative and characters arcs it’s easy to
see why some might find it hard to connect with Boyhood. There’s no huge conflict in the film, no overarching
villain and no great epiphany, just a maturity and warmth that unfolds across
the 2 hour 45 minute run time. Linklater abandons the traditional methods of
story telling, even more so than in his Before
trilogy, instead favouring an approach of realism and truth.
The approach to
scripting is something else that helps give Boyhood
this air of honesty. Still written in his breezy conversational style,
Linklater outlined the story at the beginning of production but during the
process of filming, gave the cast and crew the opportunity to contribute their
experiences. This helps create a series of events that feels believable but
still engaging. A particular favourite is the conversation Mason and his Dad
have about elves. It’s adorable and rings totally true with the way children
question the world around them.
The focus of
each year could so easily have been social milestones (Birthdays, Christmases, etc)
but instead Linklater opts for more subtle and ultimately truthful ways to show
the passage of time. Think back on your childhood and you don’t remember great
swathes of detail, events tend to morph together but odd moments you can recall
with great clarity. Specific gigs, days at your first job, evenings mucking
about with your friends, each moment blending with the ones either side of it.
There’s a reference to Kurt Vonnegut in the film which is has got to be
intentional because it fits so perfectly with the tone of the film. When you
look back at Boyhood once it’s
finished there is a sense of everything happening all at once, like the way the
Tralfamadorians see the world in the novel Slaughterhouse
5.
Patricia
Arquette does a sterling job as Olivia, Mason’s Mother (simply credited as
‘Mom’). This film could have been called ‘Parenthood’ because for a large part
of it, it’s about how Mason interacts with her and reacts to her string of
ill-chosen relationships. Arquette is utterly heart-breaking throughout; you’ll
come out of Boyhood wanting to give
her a hug.
Frequent
Linklater collaborator Ethan Hawke plays Mason Sr. Initially a less steady
influence than Olivia, Mason Sr could so easily have been a source of ‘Daddy
Issues’ for Mason Jr but Linklater goes for a more nuanced approach to
paternity. Mason Sr matures as much as his junior counterpart delivering an
interesting insight into our parents and how they change as a result of
parenthood.
Ellar Coltrane is
a great anchor for the film. From his introduction as a cherubic 6 year old he
proves eminently watchable. Mason does become more complicated and potentially
unlikable as the film goes on but I’d argue that his likability doesn’t matter
and that what the film is really about is how he becomes that version of
himself. Incidentally I did like him. By the time he’s 16 he’s the kind of
introspective, pseudointellectual, borderline conspiracy theorist that I used
to fall madly in love with at that age and seeing that just added to the huge
hit of nostalgia this film provides.
I don’t think Boyhood is perfect. It’s about 10
minutes too long and one minor plot point comes back at the end of the film in
a rather clunky, albeit effective, way. But as ever, I’m willing to forgive
these kinds of minor indiscretions for something like Boyhood that aspires to be more than the usual Hollywood fare.
Ultimately the
beauty of Boyhood is that you can read it in so many different ways. You can see
it as a young adult looking back on their childhood or as a time capsule
documenting those 12 years through the filter of a childhood in the American
South or you could even view it as a parent, reflecting on how quickly your
children grow up.
I’m sorry if
this review comes off as pretentious waffle, the film definitely isn’t high
falutin it’s just highly unconventional. If you didn’t like the free flow of
the Before trilogy you might get
equally annoyed with Boyhood, but if
you’re able to go with it, this film will reward you with an experience that
you’ve never had before and are unlikely to have again
Boyhood is the event of youth the way that youth remembers it. With
a lightness of touch and an acute sense of humanity Linklater invites us to
witness, recall and reflect on the process of growing up in all its sublime
subtlety.
Boyhood is back in cinemas for awards season and is also available to
buy on DVD, Blu Ray and download.
Also, if you
fancy reading my review of another awards contender, Whiplash, it’s over at the awesome Den of
Geek where I’ll occasionally be cropping up in the future :-)
That’s all for
today!
Goodbye till
next time :-)
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