Boyhood: Da Infância à Juventude

BOYHOOD...What a great movie! I simply believe in America again! They are also humans, guys, trust me:) Its obviously doesn't matter if you are an American, German or Russian. There are the same problems, the same ways, the same love inside us. As a Russian I must say I understand American people and also myself much much better with this movie. It was like... about me... I just COULD NOT imagine how much we are all the same.. Just love it! If I look at my childhood in the former USSR I see not much difference, the cars and houses are different, we spoke Russian, but that feeling, that pulse of life, that sometimes "lost" fathers and mothers to solve every day problems, fighting for the existence and good life for the children are so familiar to me.. That long hair and piercing.. Oh boy, its all so much alike. And those "Paul was greater than the others...". The movie is just breathing, its a three hours of fresh air!

I do not want to say much about the qualities of the movie.. It is overall brilliant. I do believe, this will be a classical film, and students all over thew world will study it in future at their film schools. P.S. Sorry for my poor English.

Impressive for its technical achievement, and an enjoyable film, if only for seeing something that has never been done before. I came away not feeling I had learnt much about myself though and I was expecting to from such a profound filmmaking journey.

Once a year, over the last 12 years, Richard Linklater ('Waking Life' / 'Before Sunset') has reunited the same cast and shot segments of a feature film following the life of a boy (played by Ellar Coltrane – who literally grew into this part and became an actor of substance) from the age of 5 through the age of 18; the result is both fascinating and inspired. The only other project that comes close in comparison is Michael Apted's 'Seven Up' series which documents the lives of a collection of school children in 7-year intervals, starting in 1964 and still going as of the latest edition in 2012. What's so unique about 'Boyhood' is that these individuals (including Ethan Hawke, Patricia Arquette, and Linklater's own daughter, Lorelei Linklater) evolve and age within a scripted narrative that is not 'like' a time capsule, this is a completely authentic period piece that retraces an era from the cultural response to September 11th, through the election of Barrack Obama, and into the age of social media saturation. As you watch these actors morph through more than a decade of their lives within a few hours, the story becomes as engaging as its concept. Throughout my life and travels, I've heard so little enthusiasm for Linklater outside of Austin and it's a shame because he is a unique force within the industry and quite an American gem. The director received a well-deserved standing ovation from SXSW's elated audience having, once again, set a new standard in the exploration of film's potential and reinforcing the limitlessness of DIY filmmaking.

For some people including myself you tend to be able to relate to a lot of the events in Masons life as he continues to age. The nostalgia that these relations create can bring both good and bad memories up and impacts like no other film can. I have to say a lot of the tough situations mason had to endure (drunk stepfathers) I can really relate to and I could feel the strong intensity in some of those moments. However not everyone has these same experiences and thus not having that nostalgic effect.

So basically your enjoyment of the film is really all a matter of how much you can relate to it. Heck at one point in the film Masons journey took a different turn than what mine did thus ending the ability to relate and from there I could see why some people hated it but the way I looked at it to enjoy it was that either way I was watching the life of this person and being given the opportunity to see this new perspective.

When I lost the ability to relate with Mason on his journey i started to almost dislike him for certain things for some reason. When I watched this film I didn't feel like I was watching a movie I felt like I was going through life with Mason. Others may not be able to do that but I was fortunate enough to experience it like this.

In conclusion this is a really love it or hate it type movie. If you can relate to some experiences it can be very enjoyable but for others it can seem very boring and pointless. I can really see both sides but I definitely enjoyed the film and In those final credits I nearly teared up because I just realized what I had experienced. This is hard to explain but if you understand then you obviously get what I'm saying. I hope you don't waste 165 minutes of your life I hope you experience this film the same way I did if not more so. I hope what I said is helpful thanks for reading my review.

Most people who love movies know by now that Richard Linklater is a unique and special filmmaker. He has crafted at least a couple of masterpieces already. This film is one of Linklater's best yet, and that's saying something. Hollywood usually doesn't dare to make films this genuine, this introspective, this meaningful. The film is beautiful, it's not just Hollywood slop entertainment, this film is art amongst the rubbish. Boyhood truly is a landmark film, one that will not soon be forgotten. Forget the 2014 Guardians of the Galaxy hype, leave that to the kids and the lazy minded, this is the film to see!

8.5/10