Review of Boyhood (2014) by Michael W — 17 Feb 2016

This film is praised for where it excels, and it may deserve it. The film follows a boy throughout his youth, exploring the outlook one might have on life at various stages and after various hardships. It's just that: an exploration. Instead of focusing on plot, Linklater really captures the story of the youthful mind and how it evolves. All this with the added bonus of seeing the actors age as well.

Unfortunately that feature gimmick didn't work out entirely. You get to watch Coltrane as the lead actor become more and more aware that he is on camera and become more and more rigid. Linklater does the best he can with the direction, but Coltrane did not turn out to be a good actor and the film suffers because of it.