Ellar Coltrane
Mason
Boyhood
“12 years in the making.”
2014
2h 45m
Won · Oscars 2015Won · BAFTA 2015Won · Golden Globes 2014Won · Golden Globes 2014Won · BAFTA 2014Won · BAFTA 2014Won · Critics Choice 2014Nominated · Oscars 2015Nominated · Oscars 2015Nominated · Oscars 2015Nominated · SAG Awards 2014Nominated · Spirit Awards 2014
Director: Richard Linklater
Overview
The film tells a story of a divorced couple trying to raise their young son. The story follows the boy for twelve years, from first grade at age 6 through 12th grade at age 17-18, and examines his relationship with his parents as he grows.
Cast
12 people
Reviews
4 min readThe Unfolding of a Life
I’ve seen Boyhood three times now, and each viewing feels less like watching a film and more like flipping through an old photo album—except the photos move, breathe, and whisper. Richard Linklater’s 12-year experiment isn’t just a technical marvel; it’s a meditation on the quiet, relentless passage of time, the kind that accumulates in the spaces between birthdays and graduations.
There’s no grand plot here, no villain, no explosive climax. Just life, unspooling in real time, with all its mundane beauty and heartache.
What’s remarkable isn’t just that Linklater filmed the same actors over a decade—though that alone is staggering—but that he trusted the audience to care about the small, unremarkable moments. A father teaching his son to ride a bike. A mother crying in the kitchen after her second husband walks out.
A teenager lying in the grass, staring at the sky, wondering what comes next. These scenes don’t build toward a traditional payoff; they are the payoff. The film’s power lies in its refusal to dramatize life’s turning points.
Instead, it lets them unfold with the messy, uneven rhythm of reality.
Take the scene where Mason Sr. (Ethan Hawke) takes his kids bowling. It’s a nothing moment, really—just a divorced dad trying to connect with his children.
But Hawke plays it with such easy, lived-in warmth that it becomes one of the film’s most affecting sequences. He’s not performing fatherhood; he is a father, in all his flawed, well-meaning glory. The camera lingers on the kids’ bored expressions, the awkward silence, the way Mason Sr. tries too hard to be cool.
Audience Opinions
Broad evidence
Audience 7.3/10
"A groundbreaking yet polarizing coming-of-age drama that feels deeply personal but struggles to maintain momentum over its lengthy runtime."
Filmed over twelve years with the same cast, the movie captures the raw, unfiltered essence of growing up, resonating strongly with those who appreciate its authenticity and emotional depth. latestnetflix.com's read is that however, some find its pacing uneven and its narrative too meandering, lacking a traditional plot structure that keeps every moment engaging.
What viewers praise
- Unique filming concept The 12-year production timeline allows for an unprecedented level of realism in portraying childhood and adolescence, making the story feel incredibly authentic.
- Emotional depth The film’s quiet, introspective moments create a powerful connection with viewers, evoking nostalgia and reflection on their own lives.
- Strong performances Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke deliver standout performances, particularly Arquette’s portrayal of a struggling single mother, which many find deeply moving.
- Realistic portrayal of life The movie avoids melodrama, instead presenting life’s mundane and profound moments with equal weight, which many appreciate for its honesty.
Common complaints
- Slow pacing The film’s leisurely pace and lack of a traditional narrative arc frustrate some viewers, who find it difficult to stay engaged throughout its nearly three-hour runtime.
- Uneven storytelling Some segments feel disjointed or underdeveloped, making the film’s structure feel more like a series of vignettes than a cohesive story.
- Underwhelming lead Ellar Coltrane’s performance as Mason is criticized by some for lacking charisma or depth, making it harder to connect with his character’s journey.
- Lacks dramatic payoff The film’s refusal to tie up loose ends or deliver a conventional climax leaves some viewers feeling unsatisfied, despite its strengths.
Recommended for
Fans of coming-of-age stories Lovers of realistic drama Those who appreciate slow cinema Richard Linklater enthusiasts Viewers who value authenticity over plot Patricia Arquette fans
Full Plot (Spoilers)
Spoiler warning
This section contains the full plot, including major story reveals. Overview above stays spoiler-free.
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsThe 12-Year Experiment: How Boyhood Captured Real Life on Film
Richard Linklater’s Boyhood (2014) isn’t just a coming-of-age drama—it’s a cinematic time capsule, shot over 12 years with the same cast to mirror the passage of real life. The film’s unprecedented production process turned its actors into a makeshift family, blurring the line between fiction and reality. latestnetflix.com's take is that Behind the scenes, the project was as much about patience as it was about performance.
A Decade in the Making
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4V2BtOaCPw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEuq6tsHaB8
Linklater’s gamble was audacious: film the same actors annually from 2002 to 2013, following a boy named Mason (Ellar Coltrane) from first grade to high school graduation. The director wrote a loose script each year, adjusting for the cast’s real-life growth and personal milestones. Coltrane, who started at age 6, later called the experience "brutal" when watching the final cut for the first time—seeing his childhood compressed into three hours was an emotional gut-punch . Patricia Arquette, who played Mason’s mother, Olivia, described the process as "a meditation on time," while Ethan Hawke (Mason’s father, Mason Sr.) likened it to "a documentary about your own life" .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4F3nn_Je_I
The film’s authenticity extended to its visuals. Coltrane’s acne, piercings, and evolving style were left untouched, a deliberate choice to preserve the raw, unfiltered progression of adolescence . Even Linklater’s own daughter, Lorelei, played Mason’s sister, Samantha, grounding the film in personal stakes.
The Cast’s Real-Life Evolution
The actors’ off-screen lives seeped into their characters. Hawke’s real-life divorce and remarriage mirrored his character’s arc, while Arquette’s struggles as a single mother informed Olivia’s resilience . Coltrane, who had no acting experience before Boyhood, grew up on set, his interests shifting from dinosaurs to photography—hobbies Linklater wove into the script . The film’s most poignant moments, like Mason’s high school graduation, were shot in real time, with the cast’s genuine reactions shaping the scene.
Critical Reception and Legacy
Boyhood premiered to near-universal acclaim, earning a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes 
and a 7.3/10 on SensCritique . Critics praised its ambition, though some noted the film’s deliberate pacing wasn’t for everyone. The project’s legacy lies in its proof that cinema could capture time itself, not just simulate it. As Linklater, a Texas-based director known for his indie roots , put it: "We were making a movie about life, and life doesn’t have a third act."
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