Boyhood

Boyhood, which was famously shot over a 12 year period, follows Ellar Coltrane’s Mason as he navigates the trials and tribulations of adolescence, with the movie also detailing the exploits of several important figures in Mason’s life – including his beleaguered mother (Patricia Arquette), absent father (Ethan Hawke), and sardonic sister (Lorelei Linklater’s Samantha). Filmmaker Richard Linklater has infused Boyhood with a low-key vibe that proves an ideal complement to his relaxed screenplay, as the movie, for the most part, unfolds at a lackadaisical pace over the course of a long-yet-never-boring running time. The narrative’s coming-of-age focus results in a preponderance of familiar elements, to be sure, with Linklater emphasizing such tropes as the abusive stepfather and the first love – and yet the inclusion of these components is handled with far more grace and subtlety than one might’ve anticipated. (And besides, the movie’s subject matter seems to demand the presence of certain well-used plot developments.) It’s worth noting, too, that the movie’s time-jumping central gimmick is employed to impressively seamless effect, as Boyhood, though meandering, possesses a momentum that only grows more and more captivating as time progresses – with the film building to a series of unexpectedly (and heartbreakingly) profound revelations in its climactic stretch. (Arquette’s final scene, for example, packs an emotional punch that’s nothing short of devastating.) It’s ultimately the movie’s epic scope and swing-for-the-fences atmosphere that compensates for its rough-cut feel, with the end result a truly memorable and singular cinematic experience that’s well worth the wait.

**** out of ****