Summary: A groundbreaking story of growing up as seen through the eyes of a boy named Mason, who ages from six to eighteen years old on screen.
Video Librarian Reviews
Director Richard Linklater filmed this extraordinary coming-of-age saga over 12 consecutive years, following his star—6-year-old Ellar Coltrane—to the age of 18. Mason (Coltrane) is first seen in East Texas, playing with neighborhood kids and squabbling with his older sister, Samantha (Linklater's daughter Lorelei). At the end of this segment, the family moves to Houston, which means a new home, new school, and new friends. Mason's dad (Ethan Hawke) and mom (Patricia Arquette) are divorced, but Mason hopes they will reunite. However, that's not going to happen, and their lovers come and go. Problem is: whenever mom finds a new man, she marries him—and one (Marco Perella) turns out to be an abusive alcoholic. By age 15, Coltrane the actor has become less stiff on-camera, delivering a wryly humorous and far more self-assured performance, as we watch him literally mature before our eyes. Linklater continues to epitomize the independent American filmmaker (regardless of his more mainstream entries such as School of Rock): from Dazed and Confused to his amazing Ethan Hawke/Julie Delpy trilogy (Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Before Midnight), he has consistently marched to his own drumbeat. Presented in a linear fashion, Boyhood is an episodic, naturalistic film, somewhat reminiscent of the groundbreaking Up documentary series from director Michael Apted, who has made eight films recording the lives of a group of Brits from the age of 7 to 56. Already picking up festival and film critics association awards for Best Picture, Boyhood has also been nominated for five Golden Globes and will very likely be a major Oscar contender. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (S. Granger) Copyright Video Librarian Reviews 2015.
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