Boyhood: A film never reaching full maturity
Though championed as one of the greatest films of 2014, Boyhood falls just short of glory. The potential is all there. An innovative concept: a young boy followed and filmed for 12 years. The same actor playing both six-year old Mason and Mason as he leaves for college. The pop culture references are even on point. As Mason’s life progresses, the Gameboy he plays with, the music playing, and the like, are not used to recreate the time when he was a child, but are actually representative of the pop culture unfolding while the film is shot.
But none of this matters when one key element is missing: the apex. There is no catharsis, no “ah-ha” moment to be found. Though it may be in attempt to express the monotony and anticlimactic reality of boyhood, an audience readily anticipating leaving the theater with a heightened awareness or new understanding on the ins and outs of adolescence will be sorely disappointed. This attempt at realism causes the story as a whole to come across as over simplistic. Yes, not everyone’s life is climactic, but there are many more exaggerated highs and lows than those depicted in the film. A film lacking the climactic build also lacks an essential energy. The plot simply drags on without an apex to bring the story alive.
With the lack of climax or well-developed plot, along with the sometimes overly static character development, the film never reaches its full potential. Even Mason’s sister, Samantha, though featured relatively frequently, might as well be left out completely as she adds nothing to the plot and never develops as a character. Whether for good or for bad, a sibling as present as Samantha was in the film would have left at least some lasting impact on Mason’s life. It is true that people in life go unnoticed to a degree, but they still cast a shadow. They are not to be completely overlooked.
It is hard to understand why this film is held in such high regard. Innovation can only go so far. There is far more to boyhood than that.
But none of this matters when one key element is missing: the apex. There is no catharsis, no “ah-ha” moment to be found. Though it may be in attempt to express the monotony and anticlimactic reality of boyhood, an audience readily anticipating leaving the theater with a heightened awareness or new understanding on the ins and outs of adolescence will be sorely disappointed. This attempt at realism causes the story as a whole to come across as over simplistic. Yes, not everyone’s life is climactic, but there are many more exaggerated highs and lows than those depicted in the film. A film lacking the climactic build also lacks an essential energy. The plot simply drags on without an apex to bring the story alive.
With the lack of climax or well-developed plot, along with the sometimes overly static character development, the film never reaches its full potential. Even Mason’s sister, Samantha, though featured relatively frequently, might as well be left out completely as she adds nothing to the plot and never develops as a character. Whether for good or for bad, a sibling as present as Samantha was in the film would have left at least some lasting impact on Mason’s life. It is true that people in life go unnoticed to a degree, but they still cast a shadow. They are not to be completely overlooked.
It is hard to understand why this film is held in such high regard. Innovation can only go so far. There is far more to boyhood than that.