Boyhood

boyhood succeeds where many movies would fail. rather than opting to tell a specific, narrative-driven story about a cast of unique, quirky characters, linklater opts to depict a generalized tale of late-stage millennial childhood. even though its generic plot may turn some off, it can evoke such strong personal feelings and unique nostalgia for individual people that have nothing in common. I’m not white, I wasn’t raised by a single mother, and I’m not from Texas, but none of that matters. the relationships between the principle cast members feel so real and genuine, and their “forrest-gump lite” journey through the aughts (complete with music and awkward political references) is somehow effective in relating said journey to the audience. it’s worth mentioning that the movie would absolutely fall flat if not for patricia arquette and ethan hawke’s unbelievable performances. the film should honestly be titled parenthood because their journey is much more profound. the evolution of their performances over 12 actual years is something that could never be captured by makeup or de-aging technology, no matter how brilliant the actor was. lastly, i’m not from Texas, but linklater obviously is. above all else, this is his love letter to texas. from houston and austin to san marcos and the western deserts of big bend, linklater allows texas to serve as the 5th principle character which is exactly what boyhood needed to become a great film.