The idea alone of filming over a narrative over a 12 year period is enough to garner a lot of praise from everybody, and it's no surprise that every awards show has been eating up Boyhood and will likely earn a good number of wins during tonight's Academy Awards. And with filming over a long period of time not being a big stretch for director/screenwriter Richard Linklater, who already has a trilogy spanning over 18 years starting with 1995's Before Sunrise (starring Ethan Hawke, who also appears here), it's interesting to see this arguably-gimmicky feature actually succeed where it could have so easily failed. But does it actually succeed?
The thing with Boyhood is that there is no straightforward narrative, as it quite simply tells the story of one standard American family, whose parents are separated and do their best to look after their two children. Instead, the film highlights specific storylines which come across a number of years for the characters - most notably a domestic abusive storyline which spans across approximately four years. But by removing the possibility of having that forced ongoing storyline across the 12 year period, it could easily make the film dull and a waste of time, especially if it kept to its 165 minute runtime, so the spontaneous changes - like life - feel all the more natural and necessary. Granted, some areas do get glossed over, such as what happens to both of Olivia Evans' (Patricia Arquette) husbands later in life (one of them doesn't eve get a proper send-off) but they do leave room for character growth, which the film is full of.
Child actors are tough to control, particularly at the age of 6 where lead Ellar Coltrane begins, so to watch this kid grow from an unprompted star who has little idea of what's happening to a fully grown adult capable of reading scripts and following the director's plans with ease is nothing short than amazing, as by the end of the film you do see little Mason Jnr become this great lead character. But he's not the main focus of the film, as for a good proportion of it it's all down to parents Arquette and Hawke, and with that you have a different perspective to how things are. In those early stages, you follow the somewhat clueless children as their parents follow these various situations, with the mother having more notable storylines through her constant marriages. Hawke instead portrays a character who grows up just like his son does, as he grows from a standard democratic rascal to a grown man, finally becoming the father he should have been from the very start. Finishing off the main family is Lorelei Linklater, daughter to director Richard, as the occasionally bratty older sibling. You can tell midway through that she's losing interest in the project (at age of 12 she asked to be killed off) but she regains momentum some time later and becomes a great asset once again. Perhaps the weakest of the family, but still a strong enough performance by the newcomer.
Other characters are on a come-and-go basis, which is understandable going by the number of changes which occur through the years. Some like a handful of Mason Jnr's classmates (such as a girl in the 2009 segment) and family friends don't get as much presence as you would expect them to, but with such a large timespan and probably a lot of footage, it's clear that a number of elements would have to have been cut to make room for more focus on the dismantled nuclear family, so it's excused in that area. But for those that do get a share of the limelight, including Marco Perella's alcoholic stepdad and Zoe Graham's girlfriend do leave a good mark on the film and on each character they interact with, and with the introduction of new characters until the very end with Mason Jnr at college, it just leaves you itching for a continuation of the story.
And that's the beauty of Boyhood. Within the little timecapsule of classic Nintendo consoles and pop songs ranging from Coldplay to Arcade Fire, you have a set of characters of which each one you can relate to. Sure, you may not relate to the actual scenarios which play out, but these characters play your archetypal characters; the standard parents, the generic kids who grow into grumpy teenagers, the hook-ups they experience as they grow - these don't specialise because it wants to represent them all. It may not be evident on a first viewing (I was initially impressed but dissatisfied by the final product) but as you watch it again, and possibly on further viewings, you appreciate it all the more. And with a screenplay which portrays family the right way, and Linklater's direction never distracting from the quality of what's being presented, it's all the more pleasing. When a character returns after years of nothing, you're satisfied by what they've achieved in that time - even if they had little significance in those appearances. Plus, when you can be pleased to see a character you know hardly anything about, then you know you have a good film on your hands.
Boyhood has every right to be loved by critics. From its humble beginnings all the way back in 2002 to its final shots of Alpine in 2013, it presents a film where every fault has perfectly good explanation as to why it went wrong. It has a strong cast, great screenplay and a creative team who managed to succeed where it should have failed immensely. 10/10.
No comments:
Post a Comment