BOYHOOD (2014) - ♦♦♦♦♦

Directed by - Richard Linklater

Written by - Richard Linklater

Starring - Patricia Arquette, Ellar Coltrane, Lorelei Linklater, Ethan Hawke

"An incredibly ambitious experiment that nevertheless manages to avoid feeling like a precious gimmick. RICHARD LINKLATER tells the stort of a young boy from age six growing up to college age, and goes through his own personal evolution. 

The film was shot over the course of twelve years. Despite the nightmare it must have been on grounds of continuity and the many risks that the production undoubtedly had to endure to seem credibly compact, BOYHOOD ends up feeling like one of the most rewarding and genuine coming of age experiences that one can hope to ever witness on the cinema screen. 

This is also due to the authenticity of the real physical changes of the main actors involved, where even the wrinkles on the faces of the supporting characters add a genuineness that deepens the dramatic aspect and makes an audience’s connection to story and the people involved in it far more organic than ever. 

There is a lot of realism within the narrative too, and an avoidance of melodrama that can usually be identified with Linklater’s humanistic cinematic projects and makes BOYHOOD seem legitimate. Indeed, this is a film that could be interpreted as a vanity project by its creator LINKLATER, yet ultimately this reading would essentially be missing the point of the complete collaboration and commitment of cast and crew that over the course of the twelve-year production contributed to making such a courageous project come together. 

The cast adds to the film’s appeal and sensibility with some great performances. This rings particularly true with PATRICIA ARQUETTE as the mother whose evolution and life-long struggles to look after her family but a leniance towards making constant mistakes is just as significantly fascinating as the central boy’s growing up process."

Drama, USA