BOYHOOD
US, 2014, 164 minutes, Colour.
Eller Coltrane, Lorelei Linklater, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke.
Directed by Richard Linklater.
Boyhood has become famous because of its making, a process of 12 years, persevering with cast and the changes in their lives.
Writer-director, Richard Linklater, greatly admired for his series of Before, Sunrise, Sunset, Midnight, and a career which has mixed documentaries with feature films, decided in 2002 that he would like to make a film about a young boy and trace his growth over 12 years from 6 to 18. He and his cast and his crew spent a week every year adding to the film, developing the story, exploring the characters, changing the development of the plot according to some aspects of the boy’s life. A reviewer reported that she had taken a friend to see Boyhood and that the friend was very impressed and asked how many actors had played the part of the boy. In fact, it is the same boy, Ellar Coltrane, developing his fictional life story over the 12 years.
As with so many of the other of Richard Linklater’s films, this is a Texas story. It captures the atmosphere of Texas, making the film a piece of contemporary Americana.
At the opening of the film, the boy, Mason Jr, is a friendly and likeable young lad. He lives with his mother, Olivia, played by Patricia Arquette, a mother who makes bad choices in husbands and partners as is seen over the years. She has been married to Mason, again played over the years by Ethan Hawke, a frequent collaborator with Linklater, but they are separated, he wanting to travel and move around, still with some adolescent tendencies which make it difficult to relate to his son, even though he loves him.
As the years go on, Mason turns up at various times to see his son, take him out, trying to build a relationship with him. Mason Jr is not unwilling. And his mother, liking Mason, allows him to be with their son even though she is frequently exasperated with him. Mason Jr has a sister. She is played by Linklater’s own daughter, Lorelei, who also changes substantially over the years, finally asserting herself in her adolescent years.
The family experiences a number of difficulties, especially when the mother marries a man who seems genial, lectures at college where she attends his courses, marries him and brings her two children to blend with his children from a previous marriage. All seems well until, as happens in so many of these marriages, he starts to be demanding, bullying, and is a drinker. While Mason and Lorelei have got on well with the other children, they have to get away suddenly and lose these bonds. Olivia tries another marriage with a war veteran but the war has influenced his mental condition and his ability to relate to people.
However, the fascination of the film is to watch Ellar Coltrane, over the 12 years, as a little boy, growing up in school, his friends, clashes, the way that he has to fit into new families, the visits from his father, clashes with his mother despite his love for her, and into his adolescence in school. The film is rather reticent about his growth in his sexuality though he has girlfriends. Like so many of the young men of his time, he experiments with drugs, clashes with his family, wants to move out, has to plan his education – while discovering that he has a talent for photography. All in all, the processing progress of the story depends on a great deal of detail in the characters’ lives.
While some people have claimed Boyhood is something of a masterpiece, Linklater winning the prize for Best Director at the Berlin Film Festival of 2014, others have wondered because they think that nothing really happens, little action and slow-moving. But this seems to underestimate the power of ordinary life, developments and challenges of a young boy and his moving into adolescence, the importance of family, finding one’s place in family, relating to parents, dependence and the move to independence and forming an individual character.
The film offers a fine opportunity for audiences, in a film running over 2 ½ hours, to watch human nature action and reflect.
1. The title, the focus? The age of the young boy, his growth through childhood to older adolescence?
2. The work of Richard Linklater, his range of films, subjects of relationships, family, Texas? His use of improvisation in dialogue and action?
3. The 12 years of filming, a section each year as the children grew and the adults aged? The strong cast? The focus on Eller Coltrane as Mason Jr?
4. The situation of the opening, Olivia, Mason in Alaska, the two children, their age, Mason as a little boy, Samantha, smart, acting out, her attitude towards
her brother? Olivia as ordinary, trying to cope? Mason’s return, the tension between the two, taking the children out, the grandmother and the confrontation? The effect of the parent situation on the children?
5. The background of the parents and the relationship? Olivia pregnant, marrying, the difficulties, differences, deciding to study, the attraction towards the lecturer, dating him, the wedding, the combined family of four children, happiness, but his control, the children responding badly, his drinking and brutality, taking the children and leaving? The study, her achievement, further studies, degrees, lecturing in psychology and her students admiring her? The interactions with Mason over the years, the ups and downs with the children, her growing in confidence, having money, the experience with the veteran and his tough stances, leaving him? The children at school, jobs, Sam going to college, Mason and his studies, his photography, the graduation, the party? Her sadness at Mason leaving, the saddest day of her life? The events on-screen as well as those off-screen?
6. Mason, his age, Olivia pregnant, Alaska, coming home, seeing the children, his mother-in-law? Seeing the children on the weekends? His happy attitude? Taking them out, camping, the discussions, his girlfriends, marrying any, the baby? His jobs? Irresponsible and responsible? His change, the bond with Mason Jr, the issue of the car and his not giving it to his son, buying the camera? His pride in his family? Taking Mason to Annie’s parents? The final party and his speech?
7. Mason Jr, his age over the duration of the film, beginning as little, a quiet little boy, at school, his friends, picked on, reactions, his sister bossing him about? His relationship to his mother? His father? The episode with the lecturer, settling with the other children, friendship with them, sharing, reacting? The stepfather and his discipline, drinking, the attack, Olivia taking them away, the regret at leaving these two siblings? His maturing? Interested girls, talking with his father? His job in the diner? The relationship with Sheena, going out, discussions, shyness, the sexual encounter – and the their being caught by the roommate? His discussions about relationships with his father? The changes in his appearance, getting taller, styles of hair, beard and moustache, the different clothes? His study, loving photography, the episode in the dark room and the comments of his teacher? Graduation, the party and his not wanting it? The speeches and his response? Leaving, his mother sadness, going to college, his room, the roommate, going camping with the group? His future?
8. Samantha, the director’s daughter? Older than Mason, a little miss when she was young, independent style, with the stepfather, his demands on her, her reactions? The effect of leaving? Changing over the years, hairstyles and colour, her interests, her friends? Leaving for college?
9. Mason’s graduation party, the range of speeches, affirming him?
10. The lecturer, his classes, the attraction for Olivia, his children, the marriage, life at home, strictness, discipline, drawing the line, Olivia finding it hard, her comments, his brutality and drinking, taking the children?
11. Olivia and her attraction towards the veteran, marrying him, his house, his tough attitudes, especially demands on Mason?
12. Family backgrounds, Olivia’s mother and her care for the children, later acceptance of Mason? Anna, her character, love from Mason, the baby? Sensible? Going to her parents, Mason’s birthday and the gift of the Bible, of the gun, the old man teaching him how to use it? The visit to church? The issue of the baby’s baptism?
13. The range of supporting characters, Carol as a good friend and sheltering the family after the difficulties, the little daughter, growing up? People in the education area, lecturers, students? The young Hispanic man and his working on the pipes, Olivia’s advice to him to study, later going to the restaurant, his thanks to her – and the impression on her children? The variety of teachers, and their encouragement of Mason? Mason and his work at the diner and the people in charge, the owner, straight up and down, making demands on Mason, yet friendship and his giving a speech at the party?
14. Ordinary people, difficulties, the difficulties for single parents, re-marriage, integrated families, step-parents and their demands?
15. A little boy growing up in this context, his experiences, the effects, his coping and his future?
