NOTE: This is a reprinted review from the Sundance Film Festival.
Over the last twenty years we've grown accustomed to Richard Linklater's obsession with the passage of time through his Before Sunset trilogy. Every nine years we catch up on his cherished couple as they've gone from meeting to marriage and who knows where in the future. It's kind of strange to call Boyhood Linklater's latest film considering he began the ambitious project more than twelve years ago, filming it a few days each year to cover one boy's journey into adulthood. Nothing of its type has ever been attempted before, not even through Michael Apted's terrific Up documentary series. Combining hyper-realism with a fictional narrative, Linklater has created the purest of coming-of-age movies, but was the long wait truly worth it? Or was it all just one long, drawn out stunt without any real benefit?
Well, the answer is....somewhere in between. A middle of the road answer for a
film that, while great at exploring how one's life evolves in big and small
ways over the course of time, still manages to feel unfinished after such a
long production and a 3-hour run time. It has nothing to do with the
soundtrack, which Linklater admitted afterwards is still uncleared and may
change when the final version is released. It has to do with the incompleteness
in the story of Mason (Ellar Coltrane), a Texas boy who is at 7 years old at
the time we meet him. The film largely centers on him and his troubled
upbringing in an affluent but broken home. Four central characters accompany
Mason on this 12 year odyssey, growing and changing right alongside him:
headstrong older sister Samantha (Lorelai Linklater, Richard's daughter); his
mom Olivia (Patricia Arquette); and estranged father Mason Sr. (Ethan Hawke),
who flits in and out of the film playfully dropping pearls of Linklater-esque
wisdom on philosophy, politics, music, and of course, women.
Contrary to the title, the film is as much about parenthood and the subtle
effects parenting can have on children as they develop. Presenting in episodic
fashion, flashing us through the years at what seems so be a rapid pace
initially, the kids are dragged through Olivia's consistent relationship
troubles. As she goes from one toxic boyfriend to the next, we see the impact
of it on Mason and Lorelai, and how it informs who they become as adults. Their
parents' initial separation seems tame compared to the volatile divorces she
would have in the future with men consumed by alcohol and depression. After one
particularly violent episode, we see how it emboldens the typically-quiet Mason
to be more vocal to his mother when she starts to slip.
Captured in vivid images and told in Linklater's typically astute, observational
style similar to his 'Before' movies (expect lots of walking and talking),
perhaps the greatest achievement is how natural it all flows together given the
fractured manner in which the film was constructed. Presented as snapshots of
time and place, Linklater uses music and technology as cultural touchstones,
and it's especially interesting to watch the different ways everybody
communicates over the years.
While there is no true story arc for any one character, because life is an
ever-evolving thing, every character undergoes dramatic changes far beyond the
physical. With his long moppy head of hair and features that grow to resemble a
young Ethan Hawke, Mason maintains a hopeful gleam in his eyes and an
inquisitive nature inspired by his father. With a film of this length there are
periods that sag and lack in depth. The second hour is particularly flat as
Mason reaches his teenage years, a crucial time when most people are trying,
failing, making hard decisions, trying and failing once again. Making mistakes
is a part of life and a crucial part of a person's development, but we never
see Mason actually do anything. A sense of true discovery is sorely missing in
the construction of Mason as a man.
Linklater is a master of crafting large sagas on a small-scale, and Boyhood fits perfectly into his canon. Despite some narrative issues, there's no denying this sad, funny, and hopeful film is a technical and emotional achievement.
Over the last twenty years we've grown accustomed to Richard Linklater's obsession with the passage of time through his Before Sunset trilogy. Every nine years we catch up on his cherished couple as they've gone from meeting to marriage and who knows where in the future. It's kind of strange to call Boyhood Linklater's latest film considering he began the ambitious project more than twelve years ago, filming it a few days each year to cover one boy's journey into adulthood. Nothing of its type has ever been attempted before, not even through Michael Apted's terrific Up documentary series. Combining hyper-realism with a fictional narrative, Linklater has created the purest of coming-of-age movies, but was the long wait truly worth it? Or was it all just one long, drawn out stunt without any real benefit?
Well, the answer is....somewhere in between. A middle of the road answer for a
film that, while great at exploring how one's life evolves in big and small
ways over the course of time, still manages to feel unfinished after such a
long production and a 3-hour run time. It has nothing to do with the
soundtrack, which Linklater admitted afterwards is still uncleared and may
change when the final version is released. It has to do with the incompleteness
in the story of Mason (Ellar Coltrane), a Texas boy who is at 7 years old at
the time we meet him. The film largely centers on him and his troubled
upbringing in an affluent but broken home. Four central characters accompany
Mason on this 12 year odyssey, growing and changing right alongside him:
headstrong older sister Samantha (Lorelai Linklater, Richard's daughter); his
mom Olivia (Patricia Arquette); and estranged father Mason Sr. (Ethan Hawke),
who flits in and out of the film playfully dropping pearls of Linklater-esque
wisdom on philosophy, politics, music, and of course, women.Contrary to the title, the film is as much about parenthood and the subtle
effects parenting can have on children as they develop. Presenting in episodic
fashion, flashing us through the years at what seems so be a rapid pace
initially, the kids are dragged through Olivia's consistent relationship
troubles. As she goes from one toxic boyfriend to the next, we see the impact
of it on Mason and Lorelai, and how it informs who they become as adults. Their
parents' initial separation seems tame compared to the volatile divorces she
would have in the future with men consumed by alcohol and depression. After one
particularly violent episode, we see how it emboldens the typically-quiet Mason
to be more vocal to his mother when she starts to slip. Captured in vivid images and told in Linklater's typically astute, observational
style similar to his 'Before' movies (expect lots of walking and talking),
perhaps the greatest achievement is how natural it all flows together given the
fractured manner in which the film was constructed. Presented as snapshots of
time and place, Linklater uses music and technology as cultural touchstones,
and it's especially interesting to watch the different ways everybody
communicates over the years. While there is no true story arc for any one character, because life is an
ever-evolving thing, every character undergoes dramatic changes far beyond the
physical. With his long moppy head of hair and features that grow to resemble a
young Ethan Hawke, Mason maintains a hopeful gleam in his eyes and an
inquisitive nature inspired by his father. With a film of this length there are
periods that sag and lack in depth. The second hour is particularly flat as
Mason reaches his teenage years, a crucial time when most people are trying,
failing, making hard decisions, trying and failing once again. Making mistakes
is a part of life and a crucial part of a person's development, but we never
see Mason actually do anything. A sense of true discovery is sorely missing in
the construction of Mason as a man. Linklater is a master of crafting large sagas on a small-scale, and Boyhood fits perfectly into his canon. Despite some narrative issues, there's no denying this sad, funny, and hopeful film is a technical and emotional achievement.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
