Boyhood Review

Ellar Coltrane throughout the 12 years of filming.

Déjà vu is a strong sensation of feeling as if you have already lived in certain events but are experiencing them again. Déjà vu can be strange and confusing, but it also can be joyful like the 2014 drama film Boyhood. Boyhood was nominated for a total of 6 Oscars and was directed by Richard Linklater. Boyhood stars Ellar Coltrane as Mason, a boy who lives with his mom (Patricia Arquette) and his older sister Samantha (Lorelei Linklater). The story is told through Mason’s eyes as he grows up and faces the similar challenges we all had to face growing up. Whether it is the struggle of moving to a new home, coping with divorce, or dealing with his annoying sister, Boyhood has something everyone can relate to.

The most amazing thing about Boyhood is its scale. Filmed over the course of 12 years, you get to literally see the cast grow before your eyes. You are reminded of your childhood as you watch the cast go through so many of the things that you did growing up. The film is so relatable and after you watch it you can’t stop thinking about it. The film makes you go back to your childhood and compare it to the characters in the film and how similar your experiences were. Not only do you compare your experiences, but you also re-live them. For example, I got to watch Mason and his sister fight during car rides the very same way I would fight with my sister as a kid. Déjà vu came back to haunt me as Mason’s mom tells him and his sister to play the game of who can be quiet the longest, a game that was often played during car rides in my family. Another example would be during a graduation party scene for Mason, I found myself pausing the film and trying to figure out who the people at the party were. Once I remembered I would recall how different they looked and how much time has passed since I saw them last. I got to re-live my own sister’s graduation party as we scanned the crowd trying to figure out who people were and commenting on how much they have changed since last time we saw them.

No movie goes without some flaws and although Boyhood has very few, they are still there. One of which is how much the film decides to focus on family. The filmmakers have you spend so much time growing up with Mason’s family that they forgot to include a big part of everyone’s life, their friends. Although Mason’s friends are present, you never really get to know them. They don’t have an impact on the story, they are introduced and then suddenly gone. Some of my greatest memories from childhood were my neighborhood friends and it is a shame the film didn’t fully explore this aspect.

All in all, Boyhood is a classic tale of the struggles and beauty of growing up. A boy’s childhood has so many aspects and stories that it is hard to capture it all but Boyhood did the best it could and it certainly succeeded in telling Mason’s story. Mason’s story will definitely go down in film history and will inspire filmmakers everywhere to find a unique way to tell a story through film.

4.5/5 Stars