Boyhood
Image via IFC

Boyhood Review: The Ultimate Coming of Age Film

Ever since his breakout film Slacker, Richard Linklater has always toted the line between being both an independent and Hollywood director. Having directed indie fares such as Dazed and Confused and the Before trilogy, Linklater has also achieved mainstream success with films such as School of Rock and the god awful remake of the Bad News Bears. When I first heard of a film titled “The 12 year Project” back in 2007, I couldn’t fathom the idea of shooting a film over the course of 12 years. I remember thinking to myself that if there were any director who could pull off this massive undertaking it would be Richard Linklater. With the completion and release of the film now titled Boyhood, Linklater is not only able to capture the optimism and hope of childhood, but also the dissolution of that very same optimism and hope throughout one’s formative years.

For those who don’t know, the plot of Boyhood is fairly simple. We are introduced to our protagonist, Mason Evans Jr. (Ellar Coltrane), at the age of six. Mason’s parents are divorced, as he lives with his mother, Olivia (Patricia Arquette) and his older sister Samantha (Lorelei Linklater) in Texas. When Mason’s father, Mason Sr. (Ethan Hawke) returns to Texas, the resulting 12 years of his life are spent reconnecting with him, while at the same time dealing with his mother’s new love interests and a myriad of other issues that you typical teenage boy may encounter when growing up.

Boyhood
Image via IFC

The thing that scared me the most going into this film was the potential for discontinuity. For a film that was essentially shot intermittently over the course of about 12 years, the very structure alone is privy to this kind of visual discontinuity, let alone with the story or the acting. Luckily, Boyhood suffers from none of these problems, providing fluid storytelling throughout. In particular, I love the fact that the writer/director is able to walk the thin line of keeping this very grand story premise intimate and personal, but ultimately a real representation of what it is like to grow up in the modern age.

Considering the scope of the film and the almost yearlong gaps between shooting, I would say that Linklater not only meets the intrigue of the premise but surpasses it by multitudes. The casting here is quite outstanding as well, and all of the principles give layered, nuanced performances that only resonate further as the film moves forward. In particular, the star of the film, Ellar Coltrane, gives one of the most honest performances that I have ever seen in a non-adult actor, especially one with little to no experience. With a boisterous 2 ½ hour runtime, the one flaw with the film (if you want to call it that) is that the third act feels a little drawn out. It’s not that this is necessarily a runtime length issue, but it just feels as if it could have been a bit tighter. With that being said, everything that happens in the third act is needed, and I don’t blame Linklater for keeping material in that is necessary to the story that he is trying to tell.

Boyhood
Image via IFC

Perhaps the film’s greatest achievement is the fact that it works, both emotionally and narratively. I’m a sucker for coming of age movies, and Boyhood is the ultimate coming of age movie. What’s even better than this? The film actually had a massive effect on me, the kind that most films can’t even come close to matching. I’m not the type of person that believes there is such a thing as a “perfect movie”, but if I did, Boyhood would be it. It is a film that I will forever remember seeing for the first time, and that in itself is a very special thing.

RATING: 5/5

About Taylor Salan

Taylor Salan is a independent filmmaker who currently resides in the San Fernando Valley. Since childhood, Taylor Salan had a fascination with movies. Although he was an avid fan of film as a child, it wasn’t until his years as a young adult that his passion for the art of filmmaking truly came to fruition. A current student of the film production program at California State University Northridge, Taylor studies Cinematography but ultimately has plans to direct full time if afforded the opportunity. In his spare time, Taylor produces audio podcasts and blogs about film for ageofthenerd.com. He is also a longtime musician, playing drums for over 8 years.

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