Review of Boyhood (2014) by Timothy S — 31 May 2015

Was hoping to write up a longer review, but never found the time back when I watched it. Honestly it's a hard film to sort out my opinion toward, much of what resonated about it with me came from personal familiarity with the period the story depicts growing up in.

There were some hints at broader questions of patenting styles impacting children, and gender socialization. I found the boy at the center of the story fairly unlikeable, not sure if it's something I'd count against the film, perhaps I saw some of my worst tendencies at those ages taken further in him.

I absolutely despised the soundtrack, but maybe it fit with that part of America? Some of the characters' overt philosophizing felt shallow and pompous, but in a way might play as how some would approach life in their own way.

The use of the same actors over the decade of filming could play as a needless gimmick, I found it weirdly effective at creating a sense of the characters at the mercy of time.