Boyhood: A Modern Marvel

Let’s get this out of the way at the front: Boyhood is not Pulp Fiction or Psycho or the Godfather. This movie is not quite in the pantheon, but it is damn close.

Boyhood is Richard Linklater’s endearing look at the physical and emotional maturation of a young boy through adolescence and early adulthood. Shot with a static cast over the course of 12 years, the movie is certainly an incredible feat of production. Ellar Coltrane, my early pick for this year’s Best Actor Oscar, shines in the titular role as Mason Jr., fusing his own real life development with that of his character. Patricia Arquette is masterful in her portrayal of Mason’s single mother Olivia, a character meant to symbolize the redemptive flexibility of the human spirit, overcoming abusive husbands, financial ruin and several cross-state moves en route to a Master’s degree and two successful children. Mason’s dynamic elder sister Samantha, played by Linklater’s daughter Lorelei, acts as the perfect counterweight to Mason: hypercompetitive, energetic, reactive. Ethan Hawke rounds out the cast as Mason Sr., the children’s deadbeat-turned-attentive super dad.

The greatest accomplishment of this film, aside from the sheer technical difficulties of such a long-term project, is the consistent growth of every character. The years go by in a flash, seamlessly advancing with simple cuts, with each scene acting as a snapshot, a time capsule. Mason develops from a misbehaving 6 year old craving a father figure to an accomplished photographer, ever-mellow with a realistically cynical worldview. Samantha mellows as well, replacing adversarial, pre-teen temper tantrums with long-term relationships and a prideful mentorship of her younger brother. The emotional turmoil of their parents’ relationship subsides with the aging wisdom both acquire: Olivia joins elite academic social circles and struggles to find happiness in the vague vanity of her surroundings, while Mason Sr. opts for a simpler life, remarrying into a religious family and abandoning his rabid liberalism for a more conservative life outlook. Linklater’s screenplay effortlessly gels the development of these characters; no change seems out of place, every relationship is symbiotic.

There are, of course, minor flaws with the movie. Interspersed among truly amazing scenes there are a few inorganic lines, one or two editorial miscues and a symbolic foreshadowing that is either brilliant or ham-fisted, but nothing in between. The scene that sticks with me the most is Mason’s discovery of his mother crying on the floor of the garage. Without giving too much away, the emotion of the scene overwhelms and Linklater’s decision to leave the garage door down halfway, so that only young Mason could see underneath at eye level, is beyond fitting. I would have ended the movie 3 minutes sooner, with Mason walking into his college dorm room. The natural resting point of the movie for me would have been for Mason to kick the door shut behind him, placing a definitive end to the childhood that gives the film its name. However, Linklater thankfully manages to find another fitting end to the movie, which I will not spoil.

As I left the theater, I found myself discussing with a friend the seeming impossibility that this film had not yet been made. This is the best compliment I can give the director: for a concept that feels like it should have been made decades ago, Linklater executes the film masterfully.

 

Rating: 96/100

For a breakdown of my judging criteria, visit: https://crawford2632.wordpress.com/2014/07/27/what-makes-a-movie-great/