Boyhood Review

Saw it last night...

First off, I drove to Brooklyn, New York to see this film. I took a small, yet epic journey through back roads and highways. Through ranges and rivers. It's really only appropriate. As the lights dimmed in the theater, and a blue sky filled the screen, It was already visible. This was going to be something special.

No matter what you've heard about "Boyhood", it can't really be accurately described in words. It's a feeling. A series of emotions woven into the passages of time, love, and life itself. If you don't know what the big deal about this film is, let me get it out of the way; It was filmed over the course of 12 years since 2002. It utilizes the same cast through more than a decade. This honestly feels like such an afterthought after having seen it. It doesn't even matter, and it's that gimmick which has been plastered all over the marketing campaign. The movie flows so effortlessly and naturally. It floats through the years like a perfectly crafted canoe.

The basic plot is very simple. It follows a boy, named "Mason", from the time he is in 1st grade until he graduates high school and moves off to college. There is no central conflict. No unnecessary drama. It simply gives you a look into a portion of these peoples lives. Normally, that would be a terrible idea. I've seen movies pull that stunt before, and they almost always fall flat. With no conflict to drive the narrative forward, most stories meander and over stay their welcome. But there is something far more powerful driving this film - Time.

I'm not going to go into any more detail about the actual film. It really needs to speak for itself. This isn't a movie so much as it is real life, captured in a bottle and put on display. Even if the events of this boys life didn't necessarily happen to you first hand, it still resonates. It explores the tiny feelings and emotions that race through your mind in times of ecstasy, trauma, and introspection. It is brave enough to expose the moments that make up the whole. The mediocrity that feels mediocre until it's examined from afar.

I was actually pretty skeptical about the hype this movie had been getting. I was looking forward to it, and optimistic. But, cautiously optimistic. Now, I can say for certain. It deserves every bit of it. It's almost magical that something like this exists. The logistics of such a thing are mind boggling. It is a monumental event in the history of cinema, yet seems totally unaware. It's not trying to do anything or prove anything. It simply exists.

One negative thing, just to make it an actual review; It ended. The movie flashes before your eyes like a series of memories. It's soaked with the essence of an era. An era we can all remember. If it doesn't affect you, or make you feel anything at all, I don't know where or when you've been living your life. See it. At least get around to it at some point. You most likely won't regret it.

10/10. Landmark in Cinema

__________________
" I see in your eyes, the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of men fails, whe we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. May and hour of wolves and shattered shields before the age of men comes crashing down, but it is not this day! This day we Fight! For all that you hold dear on this good earth, I bid you stand men of the west!!"
-Aragorn: The Lord of the Rings the Return of the King

Fantastic film.

I have waited for months to see this, and I finally got to yesterday. From what I've read in the previous post, it seems like it always takes an adventure to see this film, because we had quite the adventure in seeing it as well. During the movie, the picture went out at least 2 or 3 times. You see, there was a massive storm happening outside, and you could hear the loud thunder, lightning, and rain during the movie. Anyway, the first time the picture went out, everyone in the theater left except for me and my family and one woman sitting in the row behind us. But I had waited forever to see this film, I wasn't going to let a little storm stop me. But that's not all that happened. When we walked out of the theater, a good portion of the parking lot was flooded and almost flooded the car. But I remember thinking that I needed to do it. The people who made this movie spent 12 long years to make it, and that in itself was plenty reason to stick around. As respect to the hardworking filmmakers who put their time into this movie. Anyway, that was our little adventure. On with the review.

The story of Boyhood is simple. It's a coming of age story that stretches from the toddler years all the way to going to college. But what makes this film different is they used the same actors for 12 years. When you see the character as a little kid, the actor really was about that age, and when you see the character as a senior in high school, the actor really was about that age. So, this film is very realistic and relatable. It doesn't feel like a movie most of the time. It feels like we are watching someone's life unfold in real life. It doesn't feel like actors on a stage, it feels completely real. The characters are relatable and the actors have good chemistry with each other. The music changes with the different periods of his life. So, when the little sister starts singing Oops I Did it Again, that was what was popular at the time when they filmed it. They weren't planning on making it a cheesy form of nostalgia, they were just filming what kids at that time would be doing. It just makes the movie seem so much more real.

Another thing I really liked was the way Linklater presented it. He never seemed to be pompous or snotty about how good his movie was. It wasn't an "oh look at me I made a 12 year film" type of thing, he just did it. It never seems like it's overdoing it or purposefully trying to get your attention, you're just naturally interested in what's happening on screen. I haven't seen a million ads about the film, and it seems like Linklater didn't really tell anyone about it until it was finished. He wasn't telling everyone about it while he was making it, trying to hype it up and get a huge audience, it seemed more like "oh yeah, and I also made this too. Check it out if you want. It took me a little while." This really makes me respect Linklater more, and makes me more interested in his films. He was very professional and humble with marketing.

Let's talk camera work. The camera work in this movie is very good. There are some beautiful shots of nature and scenery, and lighting and framing is also very good. But the camerawork doesn't distract you from the story at hand. It's subtle, and yet beautiful. It is achieved very well. Also, you could never tell this was filmed over 12 years by the camerawork. The picture quality is great and consistent throughout the film. I really want to know how they did it.

While this was a great film and I really enjoyed it, I still had a couple of problems with it. Now, I can imagine that there was A LOT cut out of the film, so some of this is understandable, but I still think that it makes the film slightly weaker. Almost everything is adressed in this movie. ALMOST everything. Religion comes up briefly for about 5 minutes or so in the movie, and then is basically dropped, never to be picked up again. And I feel like religion can be a very important aspect in a youth's life. They barely touched on it and I thought they should have dived deeper into the subject. Another thing that needed more development was the bullying scene. There was only one brief bullying scene and then there is basically no more bullying in the rest of the movie. And nobody gets bullied just once. Since it was just a very brief scene and doesn't get discussed anymore it feels strange and out of place. But I'm sure that there are deleted scenes that expand upon it more. These are only minor issues imo but I think that the film would have been better if they expanded upon these subjects more.

In conclusion, Boyhood is a very good film, and I suggest that everyone go see it. Parents may tear up multiple times during the film though, so be prepared. The only reason this doesn't get a 5 is because of those issues I previously discussed.

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Through the darkness of future past
The magician longs to see
One chants out between two worlds:
Fire walk with me.