Boyhood (2014) English Language

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166min

Cast: Ellar Coltrane, Ethan Hawke, Patricia Arquette…and more

Writer/Director Richard Linklater (Before Sunrise, School of Rock) brings us an ultra-realistic coming of age drama following a 6 year-old boy over a 12 year period and showing the trials and tribulations of a seemingly typical 21st century American family.

Linklater is a modern cinematic auteur part of the 90’s independent filmmaker movement and is rightly lauded for the diversity of style and content of his human dramas and comedies, after all this is the man who directed Dazed & Confused as well as School of Rock and A Scanner Darkly.

Much has been made of the fact that Boyhood was made over a period of 12 years whereby we get to see the entire cast age and mature seamlessly throughout the film, this is indeed impressive and rare in contemporary filmmaking as is the natural and seemingly improvised dialogue.

The film deals with the issues you might expect in a modern western family such as abuse, divorce and the break-up of the family unit, ultimately though we get the sense that for a long movie that focuses on the growth of an modern American boy there is surprisingly little focus on sexuality, peer pressure and substance abuse/experimentation, the Drama is subdued and the film just steadily rides along until its conclusion.

Despite this Boyhood is an interesting and original project from an always honest and innovative director and at the very least makes the audience relive their childhood while contemplating their current life trajectory, or if you’re not old farts like us it will make you consider how you approach the great future ahead of you.