Boyhood

I am now actually able to say that I have seen all of the nominees for Best Picture (see my reviews of The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, The Theory of Everything, Whiplash, Birdman, Selma, and American Sniper) because Boyhood was re-released in theaters and I saw a screening Saturday night.  I had many preconceived notions about this film because I knew so much about it.  The story centers around Mason (Ellar Coltrane) and his experiences growing up from the age of six until he graduates from high school and leaves for college.  Director Richard Linklater, essentially, filmed the same group of actors for a few days each year over a span of twelve years.  While he did have the outline of the story he wanted to tell, he let the script evolve and it was informed by what Ellar Coltrane was actually going through in his own life.  I thought this movie would come across as a documentary and I thought that it had become the darling of the critics because filming for such a long period of time was an interesting gimmick.  In spite of my determination to hate it, I was completely drawn into Mason's story.  He has a very difficult life living with a single mother (played brilliantly by Patricia Arquette), who continually makes poor choices in her personal life which have devastating consequences for her children, and a ne'er-do-well father (the equally brilliant Ethan Hawke), who swoops in periodically (in a sweet GTO) with presents and demands for a meaningful relationship.  It definitely has a narrative arc and it doesn't seem like a documentary at all.  Nor does it seem like a gimmick;  rather, it feels like a masterpiece.  I am still not entirely sure why, but this movie grabbed hold of me and it hasn't let me go yet!  Maybe it is because Mason reminds me so much of my students.  Coltrane is absolutely magnetic and he portrays Mason so sympathetically, especially as he gets older and begins to question his place in the world.  There is such a great scene between Mason and his girlfriend in a coffee shop at 3:00 in the morning (I have had many epic philosophical conversations at 3:00 in the morning) where they discuss the meaning of life.  Ultimately, Mason is able to survive the mistakes of his parents and, as he is about to start college, he realizes that life is all about the moments.  I have always believed that and I highly recommend this movie