Fresh off of it’s Golden Globe win for Best Picture – Drama, and Oscar nomination for Best Picture, you might be more aware of Boyhood than you were…say at this point last week. Boyhood is more than just a gimmick, however the journey of making this film is certainly part of it’s allure. Filming began on this project in 2002, and follows it’s main character Mason as he grows from a 5 year old to when he is 18. However, no special effects were used. No make-up. This was shot in short bursts for 12 years with all of the same actors.
What I liked is that we really we along for the journey here (and thankfully it doesn’t take 12 years to watch the film). As you follow along there isn’t one really strong plot, or inciting incident that sparks a magical adventure, but more so you are witnessing a fine example of art holding a mirror up to society and watching it reflected back to you on the screen. There are some strong consistences that drive you along the film. The most noticeable being the soundtrack. It starts off with Coldplay’s Yellow and then as we progress along the years, so too does the music chosen to score the film. Music, the score and within the film, is just as important as what we are seeing on screen so I recommend taking note of that, or experience the film but take a journey looking at all the songs listed at the end of the credits.
One of the other benefits of shooting in this process is the set dressing really feels authentic. Video games and technology are another small through-line that is stretched through the growing up period as we see Oregon Trail on one of the color iMacs, Gameboy, to Halo on the first X-box, to the iBook, to the Macbook. As well as seeing the many generations of iPods. The movie, while being over 2.5 hours, really does a fine job of disguising its transitions, and all of a sudden life has flown by (a nasty habit that seems to be reflected in reality too).
I can see why the Hollywood Foreign Press would select this film for its 2014 winner, as it does have the slow pace of a foreign film mixed with the focus on more the art and the characters with plot taking a backseat. But, given the challenge of the production, a stronger plot line may have ruined the magic. I read that the director was thinking when he shot the film of making 12 short films and stitching them together into a full movie. If you think of them as little vignettes when looking at the piece as a whole you can find more closure in digesting this film. There is a lot going on in Boyhood, some of it rang true to my childhood. Made me miss it, but also made me glad to be out of it. Some parts reflected nothing that I went through at all, but may hit home for others. A very rare look at the coming of age tale through the early 00s.
4/5 – certainly worth checking out. Available now as a Digital Download or in DVD/Bluray -Dav3
