August 26, 2014

By Robert Mecchi

Richard Linklater’s “Boyhood” is simultaneously the most epic and most intimate film I have seen all year. The sheer ambition of making a film over the course of 12 years is staggering, but its true achievement is that the final product is nothing short of three hours of mesmerizing filmmaking. Spanning the first days of a young boy’s elementary school experience to his first days of college, “Boyhood”’s aspirations are certainly grand, but the film’s high ambition never overshadows the intricacies of the actors. This is a coming-of-age story in the most literal sense, and the film’s “gimmick” of filming actor Ellar Coltrane as he ages over 12 years never once comes off as gimmicky.

To be completely honest, watching the central character, Mason, grow as a character in parallel with Coltrane growing as an actor is what sets this film apart from the dozens of other coming-of-age films. Plenty of films have tried to chronicle the trials of moving from adolescence into adulthood, but few, if any, have reached this level of both scope and emotional intimacy.

This film can be defined as epic, not because of the characters’ journeys across vast realms and epic battles with monsters of yore, but because it chronicles how each and every action in life, whether in the role of parent or child, has repercussions and consequences. “Boyhood” highlights just how malleable we are as we grow, and how important it is that we remain aware of what our actions mean to others in the long run.

With “Boyhood,” Linklater has effectively turned the mundane life of a child growing up in suburban Texas into a sprawling epic, where the vast realms through which the character must journey are merely unfamiliar neighborhoods and schoolyards, and the demons that the characters must contend with are vices that people confront everyday. How does alcoholism affect someone at such a young age? How does divorce impact a child’s future relationships? What does a child think as they watch their parents age into or out of grace? These are the questions that “Boyhood” asks, and these are the thoughts that lingered in my mind well after the film was over.

By the time I had left the theater, there was no doubt in my mind that I had empathized with Mason in a way that I have never experienced before in film. I believe that being able to relate to this film on such a deep level is due in large part to Linklater’s ability to utilize the popular culture of the time without being overly reliant on it. I certainly feel that my generation will be able to relate to this film in a way that both older and younger generations will not be able to simply because we grew up with the music and media referenced.

Lots of people can identify “Dragonball Z” or “Halo 2” when they see it, but to me (and to countless other kids who grew up with this media) they are landmarks in my journey through adolescence. Perhaps it is because I was so heavily invested in these things when I was younger, but seeing Mason interact with these things evoked feelings from me that are usually reserved for when I look through an old photo album or watch a VHS that I made with my grandfather’s hand-me-down camcorder.

Now, I know that not everyone is going to react to this film the same way I did. Some people like more action in their films, others would prefer a stronger plot with far more momentum than this film can offer. But for those of you who are interested in character motivation and character studies, you would be hard-pressed to find a more engrossing film than “Boyhood.”