Tag Archives: Lorelei Linklater

Boyhood (2014)

My Ratings: 4.5/5.

Boyhood is something very special.

Ok, what happens if you follow around a boy (and his family) with your camera for 12 years and then edit the best of your footage and make a film out of it?

What happens is Boyhood!

It’s a preplanned, well-scripted film shot over 45 days during a period of 12 years (2002 -2013). Wow!

A film so real and shot through such an unreal time-span that it gives you the feel of being a part of the journey with this boy Mason (Ellar Coltrane), who was 7 years old when Richard Linklater (director) started filming and 18 when he finally felt it’s time to wrap up.

A unique experiment on celluloid, though Linklater said himself that if the audience see this merely as an experiment then he has failed at his task.

And believe me Richard Linklater is probably more successful with Boyhood than in any of his previous works which includes some beautiful films like Dazed and Confused, School of Rock, Bernie and of course not to forget his ‘before’ series – Before sunrise, Before sunset and the very recent Before Midnight.

And like most of his brilliant films Boyhood also doesn’t have a definite start-middle-end to it; it’s like inviting the audience to relish the voyeuristic pleasure of watching somebody’s life passing by.

Amazing natural performances and such realistic dialogues, an over-simplified storyline and that’s probably the magic of this film’s popularity.

A string of somewhat insignificant events that eventually makes an impression in our minds, the casual talks with friends and family; may be it’s bowling game with your dad or some heated conversation with your mom – after all these little memories are what we are left with in our lives.

And Boyhood is full of life.

Ellar Coltrane plays Mason (the boy), Lorelei Linklater (Richard Linklater’s daughter playing the sister), Patricia Arquette (the mom) and who else but Ethan Hawke (the dad).

Each one of these actors deserves applaud and honors for playing their parts with such conviction and for being in their characters for over such a long period of time.

It was also decided that if Richard Linklater would die during this period of 12 years, Ethan Hawke would take over the directorial duties; just a precautionary measure I guess!

Beautifully edited by Sandra Adair, Boyhood is a must watch for all you film lovers who patiently waited for it.

A wait too long but it’s worth it.