Movie Review : Boyhood

Boyhood
By Richard Linklater


There is certainly a lot of charm in watching a movie without knowing anything about it. Sometimes, it is more than enough to know that its made by Linklater. The fact that Linklater has made it piques curiosity on its own.

About 40 mins or so into the movie, the realization dawns on me - its the same boy. This boyhood by Linklater sahib is actually shot using the same boy or person as he grows up, over 12 years. Shot for a week in a year, for a dozen years, with the same cast, Linklater keeps the look natural so that we can witness the aging as a natural process. It could have been a documentary but then it would rob us of fiction. That there exists a script is interesting, but the way it gels and progresses just proves that Linklater is a god amongst us.

Soon after my realization, nothing mattered anymore. It was evident to me that watching this film is an experience in itself. I was in awe with the art. The natural growth of this human being, the travails and joys of being a teenager, the journey through adolescence, and the search to find oneself and the true meaning of life at the same time, it is like life being captured on reel. I was reminded of Tree of Life several times as I was watching this film. How much they talk about the same thing, yet how differently they treat it.

Ethan Hawke plays the boy's father and there are some awesome scenes between the two, including a discussion on what makes Beatles so great! Patricia Arquette plays the mom and her performance is brilliant. It was no wonder that she has won every award where she has been nominated.


After watching Boyhood, i was confident that it is an effort worth the best picture oscar. To dream a project of this magnitude, to deliver it in this manner is a feat extraordinaire. That the film was denied the best director and best film just reinforces our belief that even Oscars does not get what true cinema is.


Boyhood must be seen. It must be experienced. It is amazing!