Boyhood

Get ready for my second movie review. This was actually the first movie review that I wrote, for a class. It is not a Disney movie, but I am trying to expand my movie watching horizons. I can give a hint that my next review will be of something that is one Disney Plus. I should also point out that the movie review below is on a movie that is actually not meant for kids. This is very ironic for a Disney head. Here we go!

I recently watched Boyhood, which was released in 2014. The R rated film stars Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Ellar Coltrane, and Lorelei Linklater. The movie follows the story of a boy named Mason and his family as they deal with the hardships and inevitable changes of what life has to offer them. So, what’s so special about this film? At the outset of this review, it looks like any other basic life timeline-type movie – nothing new. It had a release date, and ratings, and a cast just like every other movie does. This movie is special though, and was made using a breakthrough film technique never seen before. Boyhood is a movie that was 12 years in the making! And not just because it took a long time to film, but that was the actual purpose of the movie. Production on the film began in 2001 and wrapped in 2013. To me, this novel approach was exactly what the whole movie was about. The movie followed the exact same cast for 12 years, starting when the two child actors were only eight years old. The development and commitment of the filmmakers and the cast were so impressive and unique, and pretty incredible to see. However, part of the movie’s appeal is also in the way it was filmed. 

What is particularly interesting in the movie is the people who were cast in the film. The producers didn’t force the actors to change anything about themselves or to strive to continue looking or acting a certain way throughout the whole project. This is especially so with the child actors they cast for the project. Ellar Coltrane didn’t cover up his teenage acne or hide his ear piercings in any way. This was the same thing with the Lorelei Linklater, who portrayed Mason’s sister Samantha. She changed her hair and style of clothes as the movie progressed, reflecting the actual fashions of the time in which the scenes were shot in real time. For the most part, the two young actors looked exactly the way they would have in real life throughout the film. The mother, played by Patricia Arquette, for example, put on weight and significantly changed her hairstyle throughout the film. Yet it was always the perfect look, for both the kids and the adult actors in the film, for each part of the movie’s storyline.

This is something that added to what made the film, and those involved in the film’s story, so realistically filmed and portrayed. The director, Richard Linklater, had a specific goal when making the film for the period of time that he did. He wanted to make a film about a family, and the difficulties and hardships, and changes, and address the tropes that come with growing up in real life, but portray them over a long period of time. Nothing says growing up like a couple of eight-year-old boys—Mason and his friends, to be exact—looking at lingerie magazines. As awkward and embarrassing as it was to witness that stereotypical activity, it is normal for young boys to be curious and experiment in that way. So, this would definitely serve as an example of the film’s realistic quality. Other tropes of boyhood were used in this film, such as playing video games, drinking soda, or riding a bike. These are normal interests of a young boy, and only enhanced the realistic points of the story and the director’s goal even more. 

As the film’s main protagonist, Mason falls into the center of everything that happens in the film. To me, Ellar Coltrane was no less than perfect for the role. The way he portrayed Mason’s attitude and unique personality was in the most realistic way it could have been done. The same can definitely be said for the other actors. None of them appeared to be forcing their performances in any way. The acting was as natural and confident, and believable, as it could have been. Mason’s unkempt hair that falls in his face through most of the film makes his character intriguingly gloomy, but charming. Why do I mention the hair? Not for any other reason then it’s a noticeable feature. It’s a feature that seems to be of importance to him, and changes as each year – or segment –  passes by. Seeing his stepdad force Mason to have his hair shaved off at one point in the film was definitely not easy to watch. This was actually another trope to me. It was at this moment in the film that I hoped the mother, named Olivia, would realize that this man was not a good person and would leave for somewhere safer. 

However, Olivia did not realize there was a major issue at this point. She decided to leave only after the stepdad began acting overtly and physically abusive toward her and the kids. I was not expecting the kids to speak up in any way, given the fact that they actually weren’t very outspoken for most of the film. Regardless of how quiet and non-opinionated the children appeared outwardly to be, at this point they were probably scared out of their minds. Eventually, she did leave him. I felt for Olivia so much in this film, because the “fall in love with the wrong guy, and then break-up” trope happened to her more than once by the end of the film. This part of the film’s storyline serves as another example of its realistic quality, because unfortunately, these kinds of hardships and dangerous relationships innocent people find themselves in happen in real life. 

This is not to say that there weren’t your typical movie components used in the groundbreaking film. While it was a realistic story, it wasn’t based on a real family’s story. It had characters that the film’s plot followed. There were plenty of obstacles they had to overcome, there were more heartwarming moments in the film for audiences to smile about (however little those moments were in quantity). There was good music as well, very diverse music that was enjoyable to listen to. The music matched the movie’s mood very well. Most of the songs that played were well matched with certain parts of the story of the film. For example, any given song in the film played in only the most appropriate time. It was clearly calculated that the start of a Beatles’ tune plays right as we see a transition from Mason and his biological father (Mason Sr.) having a conversation about the Beatles’, to them arriving at a lake house to celebrate Mason’s 15^th birthday.

There are also definitely some interesting points of conversation between characters that I had not seen before. For one example, let’s just say that when a parent decides it’s time to give their kids “the talk”, in the middle of a bowling alley is quite an interesting place to do it. Linklater definitely enhanced the film’s realism with this moment. It may not be an expected place to talk about the birds and the bees, but it is still definitely a traditional topic of conversation between parent and child, and an awkward one at that. As Mason Sr. explained to the kids and questioned them about sex, they sat and listened. Samantha, seeming to be the one whom Mason Sr. was mainly addressing, smiled nervously, awkwardly.

Another example, and one that I found to be very touching and unexpected, was when Mason asked his dad, while sleeping over at his house, to confirm that there wasn’t any magic in the world. His dad asked him what he meant, and Mason asked if there were magical creatures like elves in the world. His dad asked him why elves should be considered any more magical than a whale. That kind of question usually doesn’t typically appear in a movie so realistically filmed and played out. This is an especially non-typical question for a boy to ask, and the answer even more so. I believe that this point in the film was definitely meant to intrigue audiences. It’s so interesting for Mason to have asked about magic and elves, so out of the blue, given his uncertain living situation. This is especially so since his only shown interests in the film so far were playing, riding a bike and playing video games. These examples were interesting to watch, and they made sense in adding to the realism of the film, while also being just unusual and quirky enough to draw the audiences in. There were interesting and unique one-liners in the film as well. As Mason gets into his dad’s car to go stay with him for his 15^th birthday, his mom calls out “Bye, honey. I’m so glad you were born.” What a kind and odd thing to say.

I do honestly think, though, that the representation of the mother and child, in particular the son, relationship in this film, also taking the character’s hard experiences into account, was spot on. I don’t think a relationship where the parent was hovering over the child would have made sense for this kind of film. I think the relationship was balanced out well enough. For example, the mother was invested in Mason’s future and wanted him to succeed. However, not so much that she freaked out when he came home having experimented with alcohol and drugs. The relationship between mother and son in this film is explored deeply, and is of great importance. 

The point is that this film is so realistic it made sense to me. It makes sense to those who watch it. It’s a long, hard look into growing up in hard situations. The acting and dialogue that depicted such a story was so engaging and natural. Real life is not supposed to look like a movie. There are no plot twists. So it is still engaging and entertaining to watch, but without all of the exclamations of “Oh. I did not see that coming!” That’s exactly why there are not so many surprises in the film. It’s more like a real life story. You’re supposed to just follow this family and their story along, and see what happens, while also hoping everything works out for them, and nothing bad happens. 

I can’t say that everything turns out happily for every single person in the end, because the audience does not know what’s happened to everyone by the very end of the film. At least the main protagonist got to a point where he was really in the moment and happy. He got to college, made friends, and was in a good place. But that’s all the ending of the movie shows. Just one moment in time. This does seem to make the movie end in an abrupt way, without having resolved any of the other characters’ stories. I suppose that’s the point: to not have some big, happy ending for every single character where we see each of their stories and dreams resolving and coming true. Those endings are nice and cheerful. However, this film ends the way that it does because that’s what real life is. It can be a bunch of moments in time, or people can be together and think, or just be in the moment by themselves and appreciate it. That’s what Boyhood is: a movie full of moments, and in the end, it’s all about hope.

So sorry for the long review. Happy watching everybody!