facebook icon facebook icon facebook icon
  • About
  • ADS
  • Masthead
    • Editorial Board
  • Submission
  • Subscribe
The Wellesley News -
  • News
    • Contract ratified by Wellesley’s Maintenance and Service Employees Union
      Contract ratified by Wellesley’s Maintenance and Service Employees Union
    • News in Brief
      News in Brief
    • Wellesley adapts to end of race conscious admissions
      Wellesley adapts to end of race conscious admissions
    • Senate Report
    • News in Brief
  • Features
    • Professor Spotlight: Dr. Faisal Ahmed
      Professor Spotlight: Dr. Faisal Ahmed
    • Spotlight: New Professor Kathryn Winner
      Spotlight: New Professor Kathryn Winner
    • Spotlight: New Professor Lucia Nhamo ’11
      Spotlight: New Professor Lucia Nhamo ’11
    • Humans of Wellesley
    • Archives
  • Opinions
    • France’s Abaya Ban Unveils Its Own Misogyny
      France’s Abaya Ban Unveils Its Own Misogyny
    • Editorial: In defense of affirmative action
      Editorial: In defense of affirmative action
    • I am an NCAA champion: we should end college recruiting
      I am an NCAA champion: we should end college recruiting
    • Editorials
    • Letters to Editors
  • Arts
    • The SAG-AFTRA and WGA Strikes: What’s happening in Hollywood?
      The SAG-AFTRA and WGA Strikes: What’s happening in Hollywood?
    • Digging into Hozier’s Unreal Unearth: “De Selby (Part 1)” and the Population of Loss
      Digging into Hozier’s Unreal Unearth: “De Selby (Part 1)” and the Population of Loss
    • Summer Releases to Help Usher in Fall
      Summer Releases to Help Usher in Fall
  • Sports
    • Gauff and Richardson Shatter Expectations
      Gauff and Richardson Shatter Expectations
    • Student Athlete of the Month: Kennedy Mayo
      Student Athlete of the Month: Kennedy Mayo
    • No image
      What even is a BORG and why does it matter?
  • Multimedia
    • Photo of the Week
      Photo of the Week
    • “Stronger Together” Rally with Chelsea Clinton
      “Stronger Together” Rally with Chelsea Clinton
    • College Government Vice President 2016 End of the Year Report
      College Government Vice President 2016 End of the Year Report
    • Podcasts
    • The Wellesley Snooze
  • Projects
      • The News in Conversation
    • About
      • Contact
      • Join the News
      • Masthead
      • Editorial Board
    By Cynthia Chen Arts, ReviewsSeptember 19, 2014

    “Boyhood” movie spans a lifetime in 165 minutes

    Boyhood is a particularly literal interpretation of the coming of age genre. Shot over a twelve year span, Boyhood, directed by Richard Linklater, follows Mason through his adolescence and early adulthood.

    The most obviously impressive aspect of this film is the ability for the audience to see the cast age for over a decade. Whereas other movies simply feature child actors with similar haircuts, Boyhood reveals Mason’s refreshingly real transformation. We see him as the plump child, and watch in amazement as he slowly ages to the lanky teenager and grows to the scruffy young adult. While the events are generally fabricated, each moment is grounded in the reality of time.

    While it’s easy to gawk at the logistical nightmare that is shooting a twelve year film, Boyhood is much more than its time span. He forces viewers to question the fluid boundaries of family. He wants us to decide whether Mason’s drunk stepfather one-ups the biological and also absent father, examining the emotional responsibilities of child and parent. Touching on all events from birth to death, Linklater allows the audience to live a lifetime. Boyhood makes us experience a midlife crisis while simultaneously re-living hotboxed childhood rebellion.

    The film is aesthetically stunning. It is completely saturated with intimate shots of the growing children and tired eyes of worrisome parents. This all was elevated an extra level by the raw talent of the children, who, as they literally grew up, changed in their attitudes and mannerisms.

    It was Alfred Hitchcock who said, “Movies are real life with the boring parts cut out.” Boyhood left all the boring parts in. Running 165 minutes, just under 3 hours, the film does at times feel drawn out and lengthy. To some, this film may seem uneventful and mundane. Without an obvious climax and instead composed of many events, Boyhood reflects life itself. It is a constant state of ups and downs and movements in and out of emotional security. It lacks a final resolution, and is filled with stinging disappointments and hidden treasures. This film often highlights seemingly dull moments that would have been significantly condensed in other films . However, it is just these moments that allow the audience to experience Mason’s life in what seems like real time.

    Sprinkled throughout the quiet and pensive scenes are humorous modern allusions. It was very entertaining to watch Mason and his sister take down the neighbor’s McCain banners while the audience recalls the 2008 election. Linklater uses the Apple revolution to his advantage, utilizing the original chunky Macintosh computers to the slim iPhone 5s as an indicator of time.

    Boyhood allows the audience to experience a lifetime, with all its emotional inquiries. It holds our hand through Mason’s adventures, forcing us to reflect on our own lives. This film examines the emotional rapture and turmoil of living, and that even after all of this, life goes on. Boyhood is a 3-hour hug telling us that everything will be okay.

     

    Share on

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Google +
    • LinkedIn
    • Email
    Previous articleFall TV preview: what to watch out for
    Next articleMore than the MFA: Boston’s diverse art offerings

    You may also like

    The SAG-AFTRA and WGA Strikes: What’s happening in Hollywood?

    Digging into Hozier’s Unreal Unearth: “De Selby (Part 1)” and the Population of Loss

    Summer Releases to Help Usher in Fall

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    The Wellesley News

      SECTIONS

    • News
    • Features
    • Opinions
    • Arts
    • Sports
    • Multimedia
    • Projects
    • About

      ABOUT

    • Contact
    • Join the News
    • Masthead
    • Editorial Board

      RESOURCES

    • Advertising
    • Submission
    • Subscribe

      CONTACT US

    • Contact
    COPYRIGHT © 2023 THE WELLESLEY NEWS