A Few Words About A few words about...™ Boyhood -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

I ran Boyhood last night for some friends, and at 164 minutes, the general consensus was that it was too long by about 40 minutes.  I suggested that someone attempt to see if they could come up with an appreciably shorter -- and Better cut.

I'm an advocate of the possibly apocryphal comment by Samuel Goldwyn, which I've mentioned here before.  When asked how long a film should be, he answered "As long as it's good."  Boyhood's cutting style is fluid and leisurely, and to my mind, takes the time that it needs.

Maneuvering through twelve years of it's characters lives, Boyhood is pure independent cinema, and one of the great works of modern cinematic prestidigitation.

Under the solid leadership of Richard Linklater, the film works on every level.  All major performances are solid.

The film was shot in 35mm, over a twelve year period, possibly not on the same film stocks, and presumably on different emulsions, by Shane Kelly and Lee Daniel.  The Blu-ray looks terrific, and very much like the presentation that I saw last year at the Goldwyn.

A very nice extra is a one hour discussion (held after another screening in LA) with all major participants, which basically follows the same discussion at the screening that I attended.

Boyhood is a gutsy experiment that pays off in spades.  For those who may be put off, unaware, or possibly dazed and confused, Boyhood is not a Flaherty-like, ethnographic examination following a boy toward adulthood in some primal location.  This is an extraordinary scripted work, that demands your attention.

Currently $25 on Amazon, and in my humble opinion, totally worth the price of admission.

A terrific cinema experience on a beautifully produced Blu-ray.  If you purchase only a handful of modern films this year, Boyhood should be among them.

Very Highly Recommended.

RAH

This film will go down in history for having the most unusual filming history in movies.

I had no problem with the length. I didn't know how long it was going in, watched it at home with my wife and when it was over, I thought it had been only about two hours - that's how absorbed I was in the movie.


It's important to point out this film is not one single narrative or even one theme that follows through the 12 years of random events in the boy's life, but you watch it and the impact of the film starts to accumulate and wash over you until you are overwhelmed (or, at least we were). It's a magnificent achievement.


One of the best comments in the extras, during the screening is when Linklater explains they deliberately avoided the big moments - the type of events we always think of as pivotal - weddings, graduation ceremonies, driving tests, whatever. He's absolutely right in pointing out these are exactly NOT what life is about. It is more about the accumulation of small random moments that add up to something even more profound. And that's what this film does.


I think this easily wins the Best Picture Oscar this year because of it's unique combination of an earnestly small goal with a tremendously bold (and unbelievably patient) ambition. (Birdman just won the PGA Best Picture but that's because it's a show biz specific movie for show biz people.)


(As a WGA member, I wouldn't vote for Boyhood for screenplay, though - precisely because it was never an established narrative script. The process evolved more organically and depended more on editing).

I think dumb minds think alike...


After seeing the film, I loved it immensely, but could not figure out how they

affectively aged the actors.


It was then I learned, through this forum, that Boyhood was filmed over the

course of 12 years.


My brother came over today, told me he had watched the film and also enjoyed

it immensely.


When I asked him if he knew what was "unique" about the film, he could not come

up with an answer. When I told him about the movie being filmed over 12 years he

also was equally dumbfounded. He told me, "I thought they just used different actors."

Then to just see the look on his face and moment of discovery was just priceless for me.



So, I think it's rather strange to most over the very unique way this movie was filmed.

Hollywoodaholic said:

One of the best comments in the extras, during the screening is when Linklater explains they deliberately avoided the big moments - the type of events we always think of as pivotal - weddings, graduation ceremonies, driving tests, whatever. He's absolutely right in pointing out these are exactly NOT what life is about. It is more about the accumulation of small random moments that add up to something even more profound. And that's what this film does.

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But this isn't really true, as the movie does include some "big moments". We see the family move, we see the Arquette character leave her abusive husband, we see the kid's first day of college - there are plenty of "big moments", so the film's not just the semi-random "slice of life" collection some claim...

Ronald Epstein said:

It was then I learned, through this forum, that Boyhood was filmed over the

course of 12 years.

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This is even more amazing beyond the commitment of the actors to be available, willing and able over the course of 12 years, but it's almost inconceivable that an investor would have the faith to bankroll this endeavor knowing they'd never see a dime of earnings for at least a dozen years. That just doesn't happen in Hollywood or anywhere else in our money first instant gratification-based society.

Colin Jacobson said:

But this isn't really true, as the movie does include some "big moments". We see the family move, we see the Arquette character leave her abusive husband, we see the kid's first day of college - there are plenty of "big moments", so the film's not just the semi-random "slice of life" collection some claim...

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Um... SPOILER ALERT?????

Linklater is an awesome force in the world of cinema. I was amazed the first time I saw 'Slacker', and have been a fan ever since.
I'm looking forward to 'Boyhood'.

Colin Jacobson said:

But this isn't really true, as the movie does include some "big moments". We see the family move, we see the Arquette character leave her abusive husband, we see the kid's first day of college - there are plenty of "big moments", so the film's not just the semi-random "slice of life" collection some claim...

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Granted. But Linklater was referring more to the ceremonial (and celebratory) moments of passage that are usually the focus of movies examining lives. There are no ceremonies here.


I don't think this is a spoiler for revealing this. (And to be honest, this is not the really kind of movie you can 'spoil' with a plot twist reveal, since it's the accumulation of events that add up to the impact of the story).

I'm still curious as to whether Linklater got the idea for this from the rumors surrounding Kubrick's A.I. prior to his death. That is, back in the mid/late-1990s, one of the great Kubrick rumors was that he had been secretly filming A.I. over a period of several years using the same child actor so he could document the child actually growing up on film. When I first heard Linklater was actually doing this with BOYHOOD, I had to wonder if he'd read those rumors way-back-when and said to himself, "Hey, now that's a good idea!" and ran with it.


Vincent

My wife and I saw Boyhood when it opened: no hoopla, no reviews. We didn't feel the length (to paraphrase RAH, it felt just right), and we were awestruck by the "hidden" artistry and the emotion generated by the story. It instantly became one of my favorite films of the year, and I believe it will stand the test of time.

bgart13 said:

Um... SPOILER ALERT?????

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"Boyhood" is unspoilable. Whatever pleasures one takes from the movie, none of them come from plot points...

Hollywoodaholic said:

Granted. But Linklater was referring more to the ceremonial (and celebratory) moments of passage that are usually the focus of movies examining lives. There are no ceremonies here.

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Sure. I still think the movie's fans overstate its alleged absence of "big moments", though. The movie's not nearly as "drama-free" as many seem to believe.


I think I'd like it more if it avoided "big moments" entirely. A true collection of "little moments" might've been more interesting - and thematically true.


Of course, real life is made up of (lots of) small moments and (occasional) big moments. Maybe "Boyhood" strikes the right balance, but I still feel like it would've been more true to itself without the sporadic bits of melodrama...

I'd certainly disagree re: my spoiler alert comment. I had zero -- ZERO -- idea that there's issues with abusive spouses in this. Maybe not a plot point, but definitely something that must affect the characters rather deeply. I'd call that a big spoiler.

This film is somewhat unique (for the obvious reason). I too watched this yesterday and was absorbed. I, too, did not feel the runtime as too long, it was that unique an experience.

I am always interested in long films that move slowly with long cuts. Lawrence watching the caravan move across the desert is just fine with me.


Similarly for Boyhood. The somewhat leisurely quality, adding events that are only tangential to the main plot thread, was a pleasure for me to watch.


Thanks for your comments, RAH.

bgart13 said:

I'd certainly disagree re: my spoiler alert comment. I had zero -- ZERO -- idea that there's issues with abusive spouses in this. Maybe not a plot point, but definitely something that must affect the characters rather deeply. I'd call that a big spoiler.

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The point is that given the construction of the film, there are no true spoilers. The film doesn't rely on "plot points", so the viewer's enjoyment isn't affected by these events.


Besides, if you're going to be that concerned about "spoilers", you'd have to be upset about every trailer you've ever seen. They give away more important information than any of the posts in this thread have,,,

Watched the blu-ray today. I at first thought the director had filmed every few years until I discovered it was an annual event. Great film about growing up, a unique and very enjoyable film.