Movie Review: Boyhood

For two months after I came to the Netherlands I hadn’t watched a movie.  And yet suddenly I have been watching them back-to-back at the theatre.  Thanks to recommendations of critics and a persistent friend I ended up watching ‘Boyhood’, the cinema that has been generating a lot of positive conversations. It has been winning rave reviews and awards at many film festivals.  People too have received the movie very warmly.

‘Boyhood’ – the USP of the movie is that it has been shot over a period of 11 years, capturing the natural growing process of a kid.  It tells us the coming-of-age story of Mason Jr (Ellar Coltrane) growing up in different parts of Texas from the age of 6 to 17. 

Mason Jr and his sister Sam – Samantha (Lorelai Linklater) – live with their single mother Olivia (Patricia Arquette).  Ethan Hawke (Mason Sr) is the absentee father – who’s all charm when present but is largely a vagabond, irresponsible and a lout of a father.  Young, struggling with motherhood too soon and wanting to do better, Olivia moves from a small town to Austin in pursuit of higher education and career.  She also finds her second husband in her professor Bill (who has two children from his earlier marriage). The children gel well but the marriage doesn’t last long as Bill becomes an alcoholic and an abusive husband/father.  Olivia moves town again much to the displeasure of her children.  While she’s teaching psychology she finds another husband in her student and ex-army guy.  Even this marriage doesn’t last long as he too turns out to be alcoholic. 

Even though living in the same house, the siblings do not become close and grow apart as they grow up.  Mason Jr discovers his love for photography, dabbles with hash, alcohol, experiments with piercings and nail polish, finds a girlfriend, breaks up, mouths bits and pieces of philosophy, bonds with his father (and his new wife and her parents), wins silver medal at the photography contest and ends up graduating from high school with a scholarship.   The movie ends with Mason going to college and moving out of the house (and discovering new friends, places, etc.).

The movie though shot over a long period of time doesn’t look old at all.  And, there’s subtle humour that warms up the audience.  The lead actors are extremely competent and a pleasure to watch.  Ellar grows up from an adorable moppet to a good looking, lanky teenager in front of one’s eyes and it’s almost unbelievable that it’s the same person (while Lorelai as Sam is recognizable throughout).  Patricia and Ethan are as dependable always. 

But, Boyhood is NOT a great movie as it is being made out to be.  I really wondered what the purpose was, of making THIS movie over a period of 10 years!  And, at almost 3 hours, it stretched my patience.  Especially because many threads are left untied.  One never is told why Bill becomes an alcoholic and turns abusive (when he’s shown the first time, one gets a different impression).  Ditto with the next husband.  Even though a lot of time is spent on characters, except for the two Masons the other characters are not well-flushed out.  Especially Olivia’s.  Despite being a resolute person, she comes across finally as someone who cannot ever take the right decisions in life.  Even the one scene that’s been incorporated – where a manager at the local restaurant tells her how her advice turned his life around and suggests to her children that they must listen to her -  to redeem her is too contrived.  It is only because of solid acting by Arquette the role doesn’t degenerate into one of a shrew.  

Ethan has the role of a lifetime where he most times walks away with the best lines and the sympathy/support of the audience despite being a troll of a husband and father.   Also, the movie - through its dialogues inadvertently - promotes and reinforce the same patriarchal and anti-women shit that is found in the society around us.  At the end, it feels like you are watching the growing up of someone around you and that there need not be any reason or purpose in telling a story.  You end up asking, “So?”  I do not recommend this movie.