Boyhood

“I just feel like there are so many things that I could be doing and probably want to be doing that I’m just not.” I wish I could watch this for the first time again. There’s something so special about watching an actor literally grow up in front of you over the course of nearly three hours. It makes Boyhood feel less like a movie and more like looking back on someone’s life. What really stuck with me is that the film isn’t built around major milestones. We don’t see Mason lose his first tooth, have his first kiss, or experience every big moment that usually defines a coming of age story. Instead, Linklater focuses on the small, ordinary moments that make up childhood. At the time, they seem insignificant, but years later those are often the memories that stay with us the longest. The final 20 minutes hit me especially hard. A nostalgic melancholy settles over the film as you realize that all of those little moments have quietly become memories. Childhood doesn’t really end with a grand conclusion. It just slips away. By the time the credits roll, you’re left wondering where all the time went. When you’re a kid, life feels endless. Then one day you look up and it’s gone. Boyhood captures that feeling better than almost any film I’ve seen. It’s a beautiful reminder that life is happening in the moments between the milestones, and it leaves you wondering whether the time you had was enough.