“Boyhood” (2014) is a Triumph in Artistic Ambition (Part II of II)

(continued from Part I)

Linklater tells this wonderful story with subtlety made possible by his artistic vision. He doesn’t need a cheesy transition or an overbearing “two years later” caption. He relies on the natural aging of the actors and the events of the times, like the Iraq War, Harry Potter, Obama-McCain presidential campaign, High School Musical and a computer program that matches roommates, to provide the necessary context.

This really adds to the authenticity. Movies like Forrest Gump (1994) have succeeded in telling a story that takes place over decades, but until I saw this film, I didn’t appreciate how even great acting and accurate set design can only go so far. To watch “Boyhood” is to be on the journey of life with these characters in a way that’s never felt closer.

And about such journey of life, this movie has a lot to say. It’s not just teenager Mason who struggles to find meaning in it. His mother, through two ex-husbands and a live-in boyfriend, still cannot make ends meet and breaks down crying as Mason goes off to college because her life has passed her by in a flash.

She doesn’t know what the meaning of life is, but perhaps the answer is in the difference she’s made in bettering a random person’s life through a single act of kindness. Or perhaps his father has the answer when he tells Mason that there is no point and everybody is just winging it.

For all there is to love about the film, it isn’t perfect. At 165 minutes, it could have used some editing to cut down on the running time, mostly during Mason’s middle school years when the story stalls.

There is also one odd thing. All actors give strong performances throughout, but there is a period during which Coltrain’s acting was noticeably weaker, both in relation to other actors and his own performance earlier and later in the film. It’s unusual to watch the same actor’s performance vary so significantly during the course of a single movie, but perhaps it’s a reflection of the growing pains Coltrain went through as a performer in real life.

Those issues, though, are minor blips in an otherwise memorable experience. This film left me feeling good long after the movie ended.

What a touching movie.