Jake's Netflix Reviews: Boyhood

Rarely does a movie come out that questions my beliefs on what movies can do and the emotions they can evoke. Boyhood does these and more. This calm, contemplative, unpretentious, enthralling film encaptures the best aspects of cinema that are being lost in today’s whirlwind of CGI and action blockbusters.

Boyhood, directed by Richard Linklater, came out in 2014. Nominated for Best Picture (losing to Birdman -- ridiculous!), this affecting film took over a decade to film. Many movies follow the life of a person, but this movie does it better than all others. Starting with a young boy, this movie follows his life into the end of his teenage years. You’d expect the filmmakers to just choose different actors, but no. They showed true dedication to the art of film and instead stayed with the same boy for the entire film. Meeting up with him once a year, Linklater would film him with the recurring actors playing different roles in his life.

Ethan Hawke (Predestination, The Magnificent Seven), brilliantly plays his father. Patricia Arquette (Medium, True Romance) portrays his mother with a nuanced, Academy Award-Winning performance.

We watch the boy’s life, his ups, his downs, and every moment that makes him the man he becomes. By the end of the film, I felt like I knew him personally.

This incredibly intimate, personal, and remarkable feat of filmmaking can be found on Netflix.

5 of 5 Jake Stars

Boyhood