Boyhood: a Film’s Time Capsule

Boyhood is a film directed by Richard Linklater. Something that is so special about this feature is that it was filmed over twelve years with the same cast. Boyhood was considered groundbreaking in the film industry because of its recording time, and the participation of the cast. Boyhood brings something special about the cast, but especially one of the stars, Ellar Coltrane, who plays Mason in the movie. We experience Ellar Coltrane growing up on the big screen in front of our eyes. In the movie we do not only perceive Mason growing up but also how the actual time goes by. We can see the time going by the use of the soundtrack from the beginning to the end. This gives us a sense of the time and year that is being filmed and also Mason’s identity at that time. This movie may be nostalgic for the viewer because many may feel connected to certain periods of time for the film style and music that is being played, bringing throwback memories.

Boyhood is a film that is not traditionally scripted. The narrative structure of the film is gradual and cumulative. This film is a time-lapse portrait of Mason growing up from preschool to the first day of college. Many key moments happened in the movie, such as Mason’s first girlfriend, first breakup, moving cities, parents' separation, etc. But later throughout the film, those moments significance is appreciated afterward rather than at the time it was shown. Boyhood in many scenes feels like a documentary film, you cannot help to relate to the actors because such scenes are so real and close to actual life.

Many critics state that Boyhood is fascinating because of how real it is, but when it comes to analyzing the narrative the conclusion is that it is not strong or well-constructed. Richard Linklater showed that there are many ways to tell a story, you don’t need to be aware of the why and how and what tools to use to make the concept effective. “We watch the children grow up and the adults thicken and grey...There is no other work to which one can directly compare it without distorting pop culture history. This movie is truly its own thing, as eccentrically unique as Linklater's breakthrough Slacker”. Boyhood is different from any cinematic, throughout the film the spectator is waiting for that plot that will drastically change Mason’s life, but we never get that plot twist. This film is just a series of little causes and effects that develop Mason’s life and personality until his “Boyhood” is over.

A scene, in particular, is when Mason and his father go swimming and asks him questions about girls, in this scene Linklaters set us in Mason’s personal tastes at that time. Mason is in that part of this childhood that starts being interested in girls, and doesn’t find it disgusting rather is now feeling attracted. Because of that scene, you can see the last traces of Mason’s true childhood. Later in the next scene you see Mason talking to girls and not just asking to his father about them.

“For a filmmaker known for the loquaciousness of his characters, Mr. Linklater has an almost un-American rejection of over-explanation.” We can set Linklater’s style and tone right at the beginning of the film. Mason at 6, is laying on the grass looking at the sky, he is just staring into space. This scene makes us wonder is Mason, happy? Sad? What is he thinking? There is no obvious face expression or backup story to sets us in Mason’s real-time. Instead, Linklater does a close-up of Mason’s face. “You learn as much about the characters’ relationships from how they inhabit space.” Many audiences want the background information for everything that happens in the film, but in this particular film that won’t be the case, Linklater leaves it to us for interpretation.

“At times Boyhood may be a film that as you are watching it doesn’t feel particularly important, moments don’t seem to add to anything of real weight, it’s not until the film ends and you begin to reflect on it. You realize that the message of this film is the fact that moments are just a string of milestones”. The weight of the film hits you at the end of it. Throughout the film, you can feel the realness and how well written it is, the actors didn’t felt like acting performances rather they felt like at the moment, as if you were viewing them across the room. The dialogue doesn’t feel like a script something that is planned rather it feels like if a father and son were normally sharing a conversation.

Many viewers have the opinion that Boyhood is boring and not that special, that if it wasn’t filmed over the course of twelve years, it would’ve just been a movie where nothing happens. In my opinion, I understand the viewer's perspective the reason is that it is true “nothing” really happens, it is about many interesting conversations that make you reflect on the time era and also the very innovative filming techniques. Boyhood is an intimate film it breaks from the convention for many reasons, film’s narrative, dialogue, and visual development. We can all agree that Boyhood was ahead of its time, and got better recognition later on. But just as how the critic reviews that I mentioned before, there are many things that are so special about this cinematic feature. It is so real compared to many other films that already exist.