Boyhood is Richard Linklater’s latest creative masterpiece, it combines elements of his previous successes;you see aspects of Before Sunrise/Sunset in how the concept of time is being used and also in the beautiful cinematography. It also contains many a profound rambling akin to Linklater’s slightly edgier films such as Waking Life and Scanner Darkly. Although it could be argued that Boyhood as a whole is greater than the sum of their parts.
The unique idea for a film, an experimental almost period film set in the then present but filmed over 12 years, is what attracted Ethan Hawke to work with Linklateryet again, and arguably he gets some of the best lines,“you don’t want the bumpers, life doesn’t give you bumpers”, when speaking to his very young son, MJ, played throughout the film by the very talented Ellar Coltrane.
At some points you feel like something very dramatic is going to happen, but you also get the sense of a rawness, that this hasn’t really been scripted to be going anywhere but to follow an adolescent grow up. However it is definitely not cheesy, you don’t witness a load of firsts, but moments that people genuinely would remember from their childhood/adolescence. What makes it so believable and genuine is that many of the ideas in the film were sourced from Hawke’s, Linklater’s and Coltrane’s real lives, what they were going through and what they were into at the time of filming individual scenes; from divorce to gifts they received. For example The Black Album was a gift Hawke actually gave to his daughter.
This film does last nearly 3 hours, but you have to remember they have crammed 12 years into this, having said that it is paced perfectly; nothing was that obvious, even when time was skipped it all flowed seamlessly. The use of politics and music gave the audience a time stamp, as well as the changing haircuts and obviously seeing the changes in MJ.
There is a really strong life lesson to be learnt in this movie, which perhaps some of us learn to late in life – but is portrayed beautifully here – is that we are all accountable for our own decisions.If you decide to engage in this movie then it will make you laugh and at some points even move you to tears, but you would be forgiven if you find it slow, non-consequential and a bit too long.
Go see this if you would like to replay all the advice you may or may not have received, an interest in profound gibberish and American politics, or if you simply like having your memory jogged to reminisce those awkward moments of life growing up.
Boyhood is showing at Broadway every day until the 31st July at 19:30, with extra daytime showings on Saturday.
Review by Josie Opal
