‘Boyhood’ was directed by Richard Linklater and stars Ellar Coltrane as the main protagonist, as well as Ethan Hawke, Patricia Arquette and for the most part, unknown actors. The film is about a young boy, growing up, experiencing adolescents and everything that comes along with it. Although this may seem like quite a basic plot, this film began filming in the summer of 2002 with a young main star at the age of six and was filmed yearly, every summer until 2013 with the same actors. The film was made over the course of twelve years, and due to this, it has a lengthy runtime of two hours and forty-six minutes. What is particularly incredible about this, is that we get to see all the actors and actresses, including the young boy (Ellar Coltrane) age as the film goes on. This film making technique is fascinating to me as it makes the film unique and feel incredibly special as scenes go by. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jul/06/richard-linklater-ellar-coltrane-boyhood-interview-dear-process
The film was very effective in its simplicity of depicting the life of a young boy, as I feel his experiences are so relatable, particularly because I am a similar age to Mason and feel I identify with him on lots of levels, including key moments throughout teenage years, media relevant to his life at the time and even his dress sense.
Although there are a lot of scenes throughout the film which on reflection are maybe unnecessary, it isn’t until the film ends that you realise that these scenes hold great importance. The message of the film is that moments in adolescents are almost like a string of milestones that we all conquer as we grow up and become adults.
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