Title: Boyhood
Running Time: 165 min
Director: Richard Linklater
Starring: Ellar Coltrane, Ethan Hawke, Patricia Arquette, Lorelei Linklater, Marco Perella
Review:
Have you ever watched a film with a big time jump in a character's life and thought: "These actors totally do not look like they could be the same person!" Well, that will most definitely not happen here as "Boyhood" did the unimaginable and was actually shot over the course of twelve years, so that its actors could age in reality the same way they do in the script. This level of commitment (and risk) has been unprecendented by any production, and to put this in perspective: Ellar Coltrane was six years old when he was cast as the protagonist. By the end of shooting, he was eighteen. But does all this effort really enrich the film? Or is it just a nice little gimmick after all?
Well, the crew's patience definitely paid off, because "Boyhood" is an impressive piece of cinema. It really is overwhelming how much of a difference it makes when you see the cast actually age. The characters feel so incredibly real that the film does not need a clear story line or cohesive plot, because you imidiately care for the characters. Instead, the movie perfectly captures what childhood, parenthood and living in the 2000's is like, and as it progresses you will find shades of your siblings, cousins, friends, parents and of course yourself. Obviously, nostalgia adds a lot to it as well, because you will see a lot of songs, films, games and events brought back to life in front of your eyes once more.
Artisticly, Linklater handles the challenge of having to do multiple time jumps formidably well, as he gives the audience a chance to piece it together themselves. Never do we see an on-screen date displaying the current year, but rather hints like a small line of dialogue or a certain trend that you can connect to a particular time. Further, he had to change and develop the script as years passed, and to add genuineness to it, he tied real-life events of main actor Ellar Coltrane's life into the one of our main characters. At this point, credit also needs to go to the cast. Coltrane starts out as a fine child actor, but gets better with age, and the director's daughter Lorelei Linklater is alright as well, eventhough we don't see much of her when she's older. So especially in the beginning, it is to Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette to carry the emotional weight of the film. It's their interaction with the child actors that brings out the best in them and throughout the whole movie they do an absolutely fantastic job. Particularly Arquette has a lot of scenes with a great emotional power.
At some point, the movie drags on a little and it is in fact very long, but it manages to pick up a bit of speed again and once the end-credits roll it still feels kinda weird that the journey has now ended
All in all, "Boyhood" is the ultimate coming-of-age movie, that engages you completely as you watch this boys life unfold on screen. One of the most real and genuine movie experiences you'll get, and a film that you might not rewatch that often, but that you should have seen at least once. Especially, if you are a child of the "Harry Potter generation"!
For Fans Of:
Before Sunrise (1995)
Before Sunset (2004)
Before Midnight (2013)
Dead Poet's Society (1989)
Perks of Being a Wallflower (2011)
Click Here To Watch Trailer!
And check out my friend's review over at B.A.'s Screentest for a second opinion!
Running Time: 165 min
Director: Richard Linklater
Starring: Ellar Coltrane, Ethan Hawke, Patricia Arquette, Lorelei Linklater, Marco Perella
Review:
Have you ever watched a film with a big time jump in a character's life and thought: "These actors totally do not look like they could be the same person!" Well, that will most definitely not happen here as "Boyhood" did the unimaginable and was actually shot over the course of twelve years, so that its actors could age in reality the same way they do in the script. This level of commitment (and risk) has been unprecendented by any production, and to put this in perspective: Ellar Coltrane was six years old when he was cast as the protagonist. By the end of shooting, he was eighteen. But does all this effort really enrich the film? Or is it just a nice little gimmick after all?
Well, the crew's patience definitely paid off, because "Boyhood" is an impressive piece of cinema. It really is overwhelming how much of a difference it makes when you see the cast actually age. The characters feel so incredibly real that the film does not need a clear story line or cohesive plot, because you imidiately care for the characters. Instead, the movie perfectly captures what childhood, parenthood and living in the 2000's is like, and as it progresses you will find shades of your siblings, cousins, friends, parents and of course yourself. Obviously, nostalgia adds a lot to it as well, because you will see a lot of songs, films, games and events brought back to life in front of your eyes once more.
Artisticly, Linklater handles the challenge of having to do multiple time jumps formidably well, as he gives the audience a chance to piece it together themselves. Never do we see an on-screen date displaying the current year, but rather hints like a small line of dialogue or a certain trend that you can connect to a particular time. Further, he had to change and develop the script as years passed, and to add genuineness to it, he tied real-life events of main actor Ellar Coltrane's life into the one of our main characters. At this point, credit also needs to go to the cast. Coltrane starts out as a fine child actor, but gets better with age, and the director's daughter Lorelei Linklater is alright as well, eventhough we don't see much of her when she's older. So especially in the beginning, it is to Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette to carry the emotional weight of the film. It's their interaction with the child actors that brings out the best in them and throughout the whole movie they do an absolutely fantastic job. Particularly Arquette has a lot of scenes with a great emotional power.
At some point, the movie drags on a little and it is in fact very long, but it manages to pick up a bit of speed again and once the end-credits roll it still feels kinda weird that the journey has now ended
All in all, "Boyhood" is the ultimate coming-of-age movie, that engages you completely as you watch this boys life unfold on screen. One of the most real and genuine movie experiences you'll get, and a film that you might not rewatch that often, but that you should have seen at least once. Especially, if you are a child of the "Harry Potter generation"!
For Fans Of:
Before Sunrise (1995)
Before Sunset (2004)
Before Midnight (2013)
Dead Poet's Society (1989)
Perks of Being a Wallflower (2011)
Click Here To Watch Trailer!
And check out my friend's review over at B.A.'s Screentest for a second opinion!
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