Boyhood Review

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

Boyhood is an example of a perfect movie. However, it's not for everyone. Boyhood chronicles the childhood of a boy named Mason (Coltrane), as well as his relationship with his sister Samantha (Linklater) and his divorced parents (Hawke and Arquette). The movie started filming twelve years ago and has filmed a couple of days every year since. This is to show the same actors aging over time, as well as preserve and grow the relationships between them. Boyhood is an ambitious film, and it really has no flaws. The story is incredibly airtight, with no plot holes to be seen. As we follow Mason from six years old, to his first day of college, we see him try alcohol and drugs, get his first girlfriend,  and struggle to figure out what to do after high school. It's the perfect depiction of what it's like to grow up.

The acting is incredible. While the children are great to see grow up, and they act like professionals, the two parents hold the movie together. They became separated, and the father becomes absent for some time after the separation, with the kids only being raised by their single mother. When he comes back, he is caring, but also a little carefree, with no job, no house to his own. He cares about them, but could not raise them on his own. His character changes greatly over time though, and he begins to become a really great father. The best acting, to me, comes from Patricia Arquette as the mother. She is a single mother, who works hard to provide, and has no time for the father. She gets remarried to a man who is a monster, who abuses her and even tries to attack the children. She deserves every award for this performance.

What's great to see, as well as the children grow up, is to see the parents change too. Ethan Hawke doesn't change that much physically, but mentally, he changes a lot. Patricia Arquette changes both physically and mentally as she navigates herself through the many hardships she has to endure. To show all the changes, the movie is almost three hours long, nothing could be taken out of the film. Actually, you really can't even go to the bathroom, because most likely, you'd miss something. While the movie is long, it wasn't until the end that I really felt the length, and just wanted it to wrap up.

While this may be a perfect movie, it's not for everyone. It is an independent film, and while many can identify with the messages, not everyone will like it. The length may also be a problem. But this is very well the first movie I've seen all year that has a real chance to get some serious Oscar love. You just have to go into it with an open mind.

Rating: 5/5 stars