Movies have always had the power to depict what it means to live, with how close those portraits come to the real thing varying from film to film. There is one movie, however, that is so detailed and bold in its approach to capturing on film what it means to grow up, that you completely sink into it. That movie is director Richard Linklater’s “Boyhood.”
In a filmmaking method that has never been done before, he cast his movie back in 2002, and filmed his actors and actresses over the following 12 years. It’s rather difficult to write an actual synopsis of the plot because the whole movie is a series of seamlessly connected vignettes that chronicles the growth of the main character. Basically, what I can say is that the film focuses on six-year-old Mason Evans (Ellar Coltrane), who lives with his older sister, Samantha (Lorelei Linklater), and their mother (Patricia Arquette) in Texas, who is divorced from her husband (Ethan Hawke). Over the course of 12 years, Mason will be shaped by people and events around him, and will try and figure out what kind of person he wishes to become.
Watching Ellar Coltrane grow up as his character is stunning to watch, and is a pure example of cinematic metamorphosis, and he’s perfectly in sync with whatever Mason is feeling in any period of his life. Despite the fact that his character acts more reserved as he enters his teenage years, you can still tell that there’s a lot going on deep in his mind as he tries to figure out what the next steps in his life will be.
Patricia Arquette is a genuine force to watch as Mason’s strong-willed mother. Although her character is under the strains of maternity and financial stress, her willingness to do what’s right for her family always serves as her reliable armor, and Arquette’s final scene in the film solidifies her performance as one of the best of the year.
Ethan Hawke, who worked with Linklater on the “Before” trilogy, adds another excellent performance to their always-successful collaboration, and is a natural in handling Linklater’s dialogue. Just like Arquette, Hawke’s screen time with Coltrane and [Lorelei] Linklater is amazing to watch because of how well the three interact, and the scenes between him and Coltrane are some of the finest I’ve ever watched between a father and son character in a movie.
Out of all of the non-immediate-family characters that come in and out of Mason’s life, the most memorable in the film is his alcoholic stepfather (Marco Perella). While seeming like an ideal parent in his first couple of scenes, he slowly turns into what becomes a frightening and domineering individual. The power of his performance comes in his ability to create a great deal of tension whenever he’s on screen, particularly in the pressure-cooker dinner scene.
Similar to what Linklater did with his “Before” trilogy, he uses several long takes to give an idea of the film unfolding in real time, and this is with the help of cinematography by Lee Daniel and Shane Kelly. Although “Boyhood” takes place in a much bigger time frame than that of the one-day-long time frames of the “Before” films, the use of long takes in certain instances makes the film seem like a documentary, as if you’re watching the lives of a real family transpire on screen.
The screenplay by Richard Linklater skillfully links each part of the story to create a whole that never seems episodic. There are smooth transitions from year to year as Mason gradually gets older, and the film devotes a sufficient amount of time to each of the 12 years that we see from his life.
One clever aspect about the screenplay is that, instead of displaying any notes on the screen to tell the audience what year the film is currently in, it plays certain hit singles in the background to give the audience an idea of what year is taking place, and uses each tune in whatever portion of the film that coincides with the time of the song’s release. This relates back to and is a reminder of the relationship between Mason and his father because out of all of the characters in the film, Mason has the strongest relationship with his father, who himself is an aspiring musician.
Linklater has done something undeniably special in his approach to showing his characters grow up. The narrative comes so impressively close to what it’s like to go from childhood to adulthood, that it’s very difficult not to find at least a couple of scenes to which you can relate.
Through his 12-year dedication, Linklater has made the ultimate coming-of-age film, as well as one of the richest moviegoing experiences you’re likely to have this decade, maybe even your entire life.
Final grade: A
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