Boyhood

I remember reading about this years ago -- the fascinating and ambitious project by Linklater and company chronicling a character as he grows up on screen. Since it took 12 years to finish, I sort of forgot about it, wondering if it was ever finish-able. Turns out, it was and it’s a first-class endeavor. It’s truly about boyhood, and the theme drives the movie. While there are characters and a story, there is no “plot,” per se. It’s a meditation about growing up, which consists of essays about the different stages of adolescence. (It reminded me of Dazed and Confused in this way: kinda loose.) The cast is great, especially Ellar Coltrane, the boy transforming into a man and the central subject. What’s neat is to think back over the movie after you’ve left the theater, remembering the little moments that you realize after the fact are important rites of passage. Yes, it’s a bit long. But it’s important that it is, it should feel like an emotional journey. There is no “resolution.” How could there be to boyhood? But there is a conclusion and it’s both simple and profound.