Unique Boyhood Manages to Entertain Too

Rating:

With Boyhood, Richard Linklater has accomplished what no other filmmaker has been able to do thus far. He began filming Boyhood in 2002 with a handful of actors who would shoot each year, over the course of the next 12 years, taking the story forward. As the actors matured, so did the characters played by them.

Boyhood is Mason’s (Ellar Coltrane) coming-of-age story. As a young boy, Mason lives with his elder sister, Samantha (Lorelei Linklater) and their mom who is played by Patricia Arquette. At the time the movie begins, Ethan Hawke, who plays their dad, is somewhere in Alaska. We know that Mason’s parents are not staying together and over the next 12 years, Mason grows up experiencing the highs and lows of life.

Viewers will be able to relate to different characters at some point during the 12 years of their lives. Beset with problems, each character has good and bad qualities. Patricia Arquette’s character has her share of problems, especially with her relationship with men. Despite the predicaments faced by her, she looks after her children with admirable tenacity. Over the years, she and her kids shift homes and thus have to adapt themselves to the new surrounding each time. Initially, the kids have to cope with not having their father around, and later on they face problems of their own, particularly Mason, who has to deal with a breakup with his girlfriend.

You share the happy and sad moments with the family. It is played out as close to real life as possible, and there are no dramatic twists in the story. All the actors play their parts well and through their devoted acting manage to connect with the audience. For me, Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke stood out.

You will be curious to see this movie because the same actors play their parts over a 12-year period. Different than what most moviegoers would have seen before, Boyhood warrants one-time viewing. If you can relate to at least one of the characters portrayed in Boyhood, you will remain engaged throughout this near three-hour-long movie. As a movie buff, I liked Boyhood thoroughly and hope that you do so too.