The best movie of 2014 and now the third best of the decade? Richard Linklater sure pulled some number with Boyhood, a film so unbelievably brilliant it's overcome the massive obstacles of being a summer indie release lacking any big star to become a major name in the current awards season. In an age where realism in cinema amounts to romantic dramas having a bit of sadness in the cheer or big blockbusters looking gritty, Boyhood shows the true meaning of the word. Shot over a period of twelve years, Linklater charts the formative years of Mason Evans, Jr., played throughout by Ellar Coltrane, seeing him mature into an adult while his family unsensationally grow closer and further apart, and close again. From broad strokes - obviously all the characters age in slight and realistic ways with each time-jump - to the much more subtle scene-setting elements - instead of listing the results of Google for big 2008 hits, when stating his favourite movies of the summer Mason quotes films that were genuinely relevant to a teenage boy at that moment in time - much of the film's joys can be argued to come from the shooting method, although that shouldn't rob Linklater of praise for his aptitude in the more traditional aspects of movie-making; story in particular.
