Boyhood: Filmed Introspection

Mason playing Oregon Trail on an iMac

After being thwarted by long New York lines, I finally saw Boyhood with my friend Fawn at BAM's Harvey Theater this weekend.  My friends had been buzzing about this new Richard Linklater movie for weeks, not only for the novelty of it being shot over twelve years (2002-2013), but also because it reminded them of their own lives. Indeed,the film gives those of us born in the late 80's (Gen X? Y? Millennials?)  a lot to be nostalgic about.  The opening shot pans over six-year old Mason (Ellar Coltrane) lying on the grass staring at the sky while Coldplay's Yellow sets the mood.  A few scenes later, we see him playing Oregon Trail on a fluorescent blue iMac.  Fast forward a couple years, Mason and his sister (Lorelei Linklater) line up for a midnight release of Harry Potter.

Though we Millennials appreciate Linklater's affirmation of these cultural milestones, the true nostalgic effect of the show lies in Linklater's sharp portrayal of childhood perception and teenage introspection.

Mason's young life is a familiar one--parents get married too early, get divorced because Dad (Ethan Hawke) was irresponsible; Mom (Patricia Arquette) gets remarried; Mason and his sister must juggle a dual-household life and lots of moving around Texas.  Yet, Mason's real story is not what happens to him and his family, but what happens inside his head.  Linklater's genius lies in his ability to capture on film the unique perspective of children observing adults.

After their first visit with Dad, Mason and his sister get dropped back off to a beleaguered Mom, who asks Dad whether the kids ate dinner or did any homework. Since they had just spent the entire afternoon at the bowling alley, the answer is clearly no. When Mom asks to speak with Dad alone outside, the kids scramble to a second floor window to peek at the fight.  Excitement slowly melts from their faces as they watch the chances of Dad staying over fall with each word he says.

In a later scene, Mason's meets one of Mom's professors.  As Mason runs out of the classroom when the introductions are over, he hears the professor ask, "Is Grandma free to babysit?" Mason turns around, his suspicions raised. The camera stays low, adopting Mason's perspective as he sees his mom interact with this potential suitor. Viewers are reminded of that simultaneous sense you had as a child that you're missing something while knowing that something important is happening.

Once Mason becomes a teenager, he starts to express himself using words.  In its second half, Boyhood resembles Linklater's Before Sunrise trilogy. It features the free-flowing, partly improvised dialogue between Mason and Ethan Hawke, Mason and his girlfriend, and Mason and his college friends.  Mason first meets his girlfriend Sheena at a sprawling pool party where the two go off to chat away from the crowd.  She finds him "weird," but enjoys listening to his worldview anyway.  I became nostalgic for those teenage conversations where you think you're the first to come up with a supposedly profound idea. In the final scene, Mason's new college friend muses that it's not about us seizing the moment, but that moments seize us. A hokey, high statement this may be, it perfectly evokes the optimism and introspection of teenagers on the brink of adulthood.