Review: Boyhood

If anyone has heard stories about this film, then it is clear to see that this is a film that has a created an extraordinary achievement.

Filming taking 39 days over a 12 year period has to be a film worth watching to see the reason for such a long project.

With it being directed by Richard Linklater, you are guaranteed interesting characters and a wonderful script. After the success of the romance trilogy Before Sunrise, Before Sunset and Before Midnight, Linklater has become quite a hit and this project has certainly tested the patience of Universal Studios. But I think respect should be given to this major studio for giving Linklater a chance to achieve this unprecedented style of story-telling.

With it being approximately 2hrs 45mins long, you would naturally expect a drag somewhere in the film. Thankfully, I felt engaged throughout as I was intrigued by the characters who felt quite genuine and believable. As the film went on, I seemed to forget about the story of how this film was made. Instead, I was purely interested in the development of these characters and how they transformed.

For fans of Linklater or the Before trilogy, it is all the usual content. Interesting characters, a nice moderate pacing and tone and a script that grips you from the start. There are also hints of other previous works such as Dazed and Confused.
The performances from youngsters Ellar Coltrane and Lorelei Linklater were pretty good overall. There was one part halfway through where I felt their acting to have been a bit poor. But thankfully they came through in the end and I was amazed of their development throughout the film.
Patricia Arquette gave us a character with a heart-breaking story and you get to experience her time with Coltrane and Linklater, and you instantly feel like you want to help her.
For me, the star was Ethan Hawke. After being in Linklater's previous work in the Before trilogy, you know what to expect from him and you can expect Hawke will give more than enough time for being in another Linklater film. Every time his character was on the screen, he manages to steal every scene and is given some great dialogue that you just hang on to every word he says.

In terms of passage of time, Boyhood takes it to a whole new level. Linklater and his main characters have given possibly the greatest character transformation ever shown on the big screen.
As the film ends, you just feel amazed about the journey these characters have gone through and how it could reflect yours and someone else's childhood/adulthood and how they went from a kid to being an adult.
I felt that the risk has been paid off and it must be experienced. I think many will give this one a go due to the buzz this film has created. Can see this doing well in the awards season.

Rating: 8/10