I really wanted to see what the critics have been raving about. Boyhood has been nominated for several Academy Awards including Best Picture. As the academies get closer, I will publish a blog on my predictions. However, even though I didn't like Boyhood as much as I thought I would, it will probably win Best Picture. Who wouldn't give an award to a movie that took twelve years to film?
I don't feel like there is a strong plot, but the title does do it justice. The movie is, essentially, about a boy growing up. Beginning when he is just a child, the film shows him grow into an adult, dealing with most things boys deal with, and a few more dramatic paths. Mason (Ellar Coltrane) it trying to discover who he is, and if the life he is living is one that he belongs in. The director, Richard Linklater, is known for his original style of directing. He has worked with Ethan Hawke on several movies, and also directed the well-known Dazed and Confused. I believe he truly encapsulated the story of a boy growing into a man.
The mother, played excellently by Patricia Arquette, tries her hardest to make her children happy. She believes that the way her son and daughter develop into an adult will truly affect the way they view the world. Her ability to reason, even when her children are being immature, is delicate. She is always riding on a thin line between making herself happy and her whole family happy. Her children need to experience as normal as a childhood as she can give them, especially with her early divorce from the father, played by Ethan Hawke.
The father is also growing from a boy into a man. Perhaps he got involved in a relationship too early. Or perhaps he chickened out from his duties as a father, as the rest of the family sees it. He sets out to repair the damage he has done and to make his children as happy as possible. Dad must learn boundaries with the children, like how late they are allowed to stay up and what they are allowed to eat. The mother helps him to learn these crucial rules to childhood. At one point in the film, there is a touching scene in which he thanks her for raising the children the way she did, even when it got difficult.
It is interesting to watch not only the characters age, but the actors age, too. While I do not think it was the best film of the year, I do think it was innovative and original. The plot is ambiguous; there is no common goal prevalent until the audience is discussing the movie after. The running time for a drama was a little too much, but having to cram twelve years of filming into an almost three hour movie is difficult. I do recommend it for a night viewing. Watching it during the day would have caused me to lose focus. Boyhood is highly recommended for movie buffs and those who seek a film with an artistic edge, but I'm undecided on whether the general audience will like it. I'd say to give it a try. It will be an iconic film.
