On June 13th, Susan Sherry Miller posted a request on my Facebook page asking me to suggest something ‘smart and cerebral.’ I’m happy to report that I’ve found your movie, Susan. Your movie suggestion is Richard Linklater’s “Boyhood,” a movie that resonates with you long after it is over.
As impressive as I had heard Richard Linklater’s film “Boyhood “was, I have to admit my trepidation in walking into the theater. Though it had been well-reviewed, I was facing a movie with a 2 hour 45 minute running time and the only thing I had knew about the movie was that it took 12 years to make- Linklater used the same actors to depict the chronicle of a boy’s life through the ages of 5 to 18 years old. While this is an impressive feat and something never before seen on film, I was still skeptical. Could the story be that good for Linklater to employ such an excessive tactic? While what I watched seemed a simple straight-forward narrative, what I received through Linklater’s genuine and easy-handed approach is easily the most moving film I’ve seen in recent memory. “Boyhood” is a movie that sneaks up on you, more so after you’ve seen it. It depicts and encompasses those formative years between elementary school and graduating high school with such a deft hand that it almost seems banal, but this film is anything but banal- it never has a false note and layers deeper meaning behind its simplified facade. While the film’s specifics may not coincide with your direct experiences growing up, your connection with similar experiences in Mason’s life allows you to reminisce, become nostalgic, and relate to Mason’s character- we’ve all been there. In painting with seemingly broad strokes, Linklater captures the essence and provides a commentary on our similar foundation, that era from childhood to adulthood- in this case, boyhood. Great movies provide that universal connection with its audience, and Linklater’s “Boyhood” is such a movie.
The movie chronicles the life of a boy named Mason (Ellar Coltrane) and begins with 5 year-old Mason lying on the grass, watching the clouds roll through a bright sun-filled sky. It then charts his life through living with his sister Samantha (Lorelei Linklater) and mother (Patricia Arquette) as they move through different cities within Texas- Mason and Samantha attending different schools; their mother forgoing these moves through two unhappy marriages. Mason and Samantha see their biological father (Ethan Hawke) on alternate weekends. As the movie unfolds, we watch Mason (and actor Coltrane) physically mature until the film’s ending with his own ‘moving’ into his freshman dorm at University of Texas and then sitting in a remote desert plain, watching the sunset. To tell you more about Mason’s journey from 5 to 18 years-old almost seems like a spoiler, but there’s nothing jarring in the narrative- he’s an ordinary boy. And while watching this narrative arc beginning with a 5 year-old watching a sun-filled sky to its conclusion of his 18 year-old self watching the desert-planed sunset may bring a cinematic sense of the film’s closure, we know this is only a closure to one segment of Mason’s life. While Mason’s experiences may be unique, Linklater dulls down any truly jarring or excessively personal scenes to make his film ‘universally’ personal- ironically, while the film may be objectively personal in our response to Linklater’s narrative, the emotions and feelings inherent in what he presents becomes subjectively personal to us. That’s really the accomplishment Linklater achieves with “Boyhood.”
I always like pointing to movies being subjective- that’s how we relate to movies we love, by connecting with their universal themes. With “Boyhood,” we can relate to Mason’s experiences growing up. Linklater has shown a knack for connecting with his audience in his previous films; he creates characters and dialogue that feels so genuine that you can’t help but be connected to them, whatever their circumstances. While a couple of scenes in “Boyhood” with teens partying are reminiscent of Linklater’s work in his 1993 film “Dazed and Confused,” the overall nostalgic feeling of “Boyhood” made me think particularly of Linklater’s 1995 film “Before Sunrise.” In each case, whether through situation or dialogue, Linklater provides such an easy charm and skill that the audience can’t help but be charmed in return. When you’re in the hands of a filmmaker who provides his audience with material crafted with such intelligence and care, you can’t help coming away from the experience without a debt of gratitude. Not only are you able to see a director’s personal take, their work forces your own inner reflection and remembrance and provides both their film and your movie-going experience with a deeper and more profound meaning.
If my trying to describe exactly how “Boyhood” resonated with me seems pedantic, I apologize. It’s not easy to describe an emotion; one usually just tries to describe the feelings associated with that emotion. In the case of “Boyhood,” I’ve tried to focus on these descriptive words: impressive, simple, genuine, intelligent, deep and profound.
Did I mention smart and cerebral? They’re pretty good, too. Thanks, Susan.