Review of Boyhood (2014) by Peggy Marie R — 07 May 2015

An incredible cinematographic achievement, Boyhood is a demanding, unorthodox and uneasy delivery which stuns with its technical magnitude and personal intimacy. A movie that is totally unsuitable for mainstream audiences, it is a slow paced drama about life, relationships, hardships, hope and coming of age.

First, and above all, Boyhood stuns with the technical achievement of director Richard Linklater to create a piece of art that spans through actual 12 years of his characters' lives. Mason (Ellar Coltrane) is a young boy who lives with his single Mother (Patricia Arquette) and who occasionally gets the chance to catch up with his Dad (Ethan Hawke). A movie without particular story development, Boyhood is a sort of observational drama that depicts the coming of a young boy, the search of his mother for her place in this world and the strive for personal happiness of his father. Presented like this, the concept seems quite intriguing for all types of audiences, but with the slow pacing, observational camera and direction, the impatient viewers would quickly be bored. That is what differs Richard Linklater's delivery from the mainstream industry: done with an extreme care, the movie is a sort of slow artistic documentary that pays no attention to its audience and remains fully consumed by itself and its characters.

Another splendid element of Boyhood to point out is the two supporting performances of Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette. While Hawke's presence is sporadic and a bit one-dimensional, Patricia Arquette delivers a performance that makes her the central figure in the story, rather than Mason. Her personal development throughout these 12 years, performance and overall impact on the story are simply mesmerizing, and most deservedly won her the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

In conclusion, it could be said that even though Boyhood would remain misunderstood and unloved by the broader audience, it could be considered nothing but true classic. A technical masterpiece, Richard Linklater's movie is a brilliant observational drama that totally changes all perceptions when it comes to the depicting of "coming of age" in a movie. A must see for every self-respecting cinema lover.