Storyline
Filmed over 12 years with the same cast,
Cast: Ellar Coltrane -
Mason
Patricia Arquette -
Mom
Ethan Hawke -
Dad
Elijah Smith -
Tommy
Lorelei Linklater -
Samantha
Steven Chester Prince -
Ted
(as Steven Prince)
Bonnie Cross -
Teacher
Libby Villari -
Grandma
Marco Perella -
Professor Bill Welbrock
Jamie Howard -
Mindy
Andrew Villarreal -
Randy
Shane Graham -
Neighborhood Friend #1
Tess Allen -
Neighborhood Friend #2
Ryan Power -
Paul
Sharee Fowler -
Book Trivia Judge
Trivia: Richard Linklater cast his daughter Lorelei Linklater as Samantha because she was always singing and dancing around the house and wanted to be in his movies. At about the third or fourth year of filming, she lost interest and asked for her character to be killed off. Linklater refused, saying it was too violent for what he was planning (Lorelei eventually regained her enthusiasm and continued with the project). See more »
User Review
Author:
Rating: 10/10
It's true: Linklater took 12 years to develop his family of characters.
While I was intimidated by the 3 hour run time, I have to admit, there
was not a moment of this film I could have done without.
This is more than a coming of age story; the title "Family" or
"Motherhood" would be just as appropriate. Set in Texas, the screenplay
is natural and reminiscent of plenty of Linklater's other work: a film
that begins with dialog unlike any other Linklater films evolves into
thoughtful, poignant discourse not unlike that from the "Before"
series. One character in a late-night nacho scene was perhaps a
callback to the heady "Waking Life." With that said, this absolutely is
not a mere think piece. What makes this film truly fantastic is how
accessible the material is, given its scope. Without giving any
narrative away, I'll say that the story itself is absolutely engaging
and not without surprises. I watched many films at Sundance 2014
(including comedies), and this was the first that had the audience
reacting throughout: we laughed, gasped, covered our eyes, and I am
sure more than a few of us wept.
The characters are well developed. Don't be fooled by the title --- the
spirit of Boyhood is alive here, but the female characters are
thoroughly developed, distinct, and alive. Unfortunately, though it's
2014, this is a rarity in cinema.
Like in "Waking Life" and "A Scanner Darkly", Linklater has again
delivered true visual innovation. This time, however, his set-up is
simple: shooting on film, Linklater replaced rotoscoping with time
lapse. Has a single film ever intentionally traced a character over
such a span of time? Linklater wisely chose to reveal the main
character to us subtly. Despite this, the effect is riveting.
I am not exaggerating when I say that after I watched this film I sold
all of my other tickets to Sundance films. Viewing Boyhood for the
first time was such a joyful experience that I didn't want to tarnish
the experience by any comparison. Everyone in the Eccles theater shared
a special few hours together. Though this only premiered a few days
ago, I am confident that this will go down as one of the most ambitious
and rewarding film projects of our time.
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