Director Richard Linklater is the kind of filmmaker I admire. He takes risks, and is still willing to experiment in a movie world where very few of his contemporaries are anymore. You can make the argument that “Boyhood” is gimmicky, but I prefer to think of it as ambititious and an absolutely excellent endeavor. Director Linklater followed his cast of four for twelve years, filming them through various stages of adolescnnce in order to completely fulfill his tale of growth and coming of age with a boy who blossoms in to adulthood.
Many won’t agree with Linklater’s view of life that it’s mostly a random and assorted string of obstacles and painful events broughts together by occasional interruptiuons of joy and pleasure. We’re just never quite sure what’s up ahead because in the end we’re still just trying to figure it out. And maybe there’s nothing wrong with that. When we meet Mason he’s trying t figure out life, and when we leave him, he’s still not quite sure what life has in store or where hes going, but he seems to be up for the challenge to see if he’s capabale of conquering his world and garnering some grand realization, or will end up with the bitter idea that there’s nothing but the day to day.
Maybe at one time the kind men his mom once knew were folks that were capbale of winning and taking over the world, but soured on the notion, or just realized that there was just nothing but the day to day doldrum with sporadic happiness and joy. Not since “Waking Life” has Linklater so brilliantly depicted life as something that carries us along like like a stream without any real end point or any kind of revelation. Linklater depicts life about being about the ride, exploring a cast of characters that didn’t really know to enjoy it until the very end.