Boyhood (2014)

Rating: 95/100

Life is all about big moments, and the milestones that happen on your journey. But what makes you who you are is the little moments in-between those big moments and milestones. This movie shows the 12-year journey of a boy named Mason, played by Ellar Coltrane and the journey that he is led on by the people around him. Especially his mom played by Patricia Arquette, his dad played by Ethan Hawke, and his sister Samantha played by Lorelei Linklater, also the daughter of the director. Directed by Richard Linklater, he wanted to show the journey of boyhood but didn't know how to without showing the different stages and ages of it.

​This 12-year journey with the same cast may bring you back to your own childhood and the little moments you forgot about with your family and friends. Mason and his sister spend most of their time with their mother, Olivia. As a single mom she tries her best to make ends meet and doesn't always make the best decisions, but that’s part of life. Together they grow and learn how to live with each other. 

Linklater used the same 35mm film throughout the movie, providing a seamless transition from jumps in time. Along with that, you notice the subtle differences in height, hair length, clothing, and technology to throughout the film to decipher time. I love that there is no need for any sort of time stamp in this film because it takes place in the present. Isn't that also what we're all trying to do? Live in the present? This movie is focused on the moments that make us who we are, the little moments like going to a baseball game with your dad or your first big move to a new house. Not only is this film about boyhood but it is really about childhood.