Boyhood Film by Richard Linklater - Essay Example

Film Worksheet I will be writing about a film that I watched last week in Gateway Film Center located on 1550 North High Street, Columbus, Ohio. The film is called Boyhood and is directed by Richard Linklater. I went to watch the film alone at 2:30 PM and the cinema was almost empty. Perhaps due to the time of the day and also the fact that it was a weekday, the attendance for the film was quite low. I chose to be seated at the front row in order to get a better view of the film. A few people who were present were dispersed across the cinema hall. For me, the atmosphere was very pleasant and I preferred having less people in the hall to have lesser distractions. Everyone in the hall was excited to watch the film due to the good reviews. I brought nuts and a few other snacks with me to enjoy through the course of the film. Because Boyhood was a coming of age film, the film involved camera technicalities in order to create a temporally shifting experience through time. The film is based on a young boy named Mason who is shown growing up over a period of 12 years. As Mason grows up, the film has captured the experiences and changing personality of a child who grows up to a young man. Hence, time is a prominent element in terms of film making in which the director, Richard Linklater has exploited the use of camera technologies to create the intended effect the situated across time. Mason is 6 years old as the film starts and by the time film gets over, he has already turned 18, a mature individual. Instead of showing the process of growing up in one moment of a scene, the director has used time lapse in order to show the entire transformation to childhood to boyhood. Judging from the name of the film as well, Boyhood is meant to be the essence of the film and time lapse filming really engenders the temporally situated transformation that occurs through time. The film successfully retained my attention throughout the film. I was interested to watch more and follow the story as it developed in time. In terms of the narrative part of the literary aspect, the film involved a strong storyline and one which is a crucial subject in the present times, which is, growing up. The process of growing up based much of the storyline when a child goes on from being an innocent young individual to one who is old enough to understand some serious matters. The narrative progresses with the film as seen through the lens of the child, Mason, himself. A state of disequilibrium is inherent in the process as growing up itself involves disruption. Growing up itself is an act of developing and changing from one individual to another but mediated by time. Hence, the change is visible in every aspect, especially in one’s age, development, and growth. Boyhood aims to capture not only the process but the state of having turned 18, which in many countries is regarded as an adult. Mason goes through various phases of relationship with his mother Olivia as well as other people. An effort is made by Olivia to create a new family thereby replacing the absence of her ex-husband in hope of a new start. However, Mason adopts a different way of coping with the entire situation and as he grows up and becomes visibly taller and different, his subjects of interest change. The dramatic aspect of makeup has also been handled quite wonderfully. As a child, Mason is a small kid with short hair. But the whole time lapse film involves changing the facial as well as physical development of Mason which is greatly enhanced by good makeup. The hair style can also be seen changing as Mason transforms from a short haired boy to a long haired boy and then one with a buzz cut to finally a grown up individual with hairstyles ranging from long, medium, and small. It is also important to note that Mason’s size grows as the film goes on so that Mason transforms not only in size but also in facial features and other elements such as hair. Hence, makeup has done a wonderful job to show Mason grows up and all the characters depicting each stage of growth resemble each other perfectly. Hence, the makeup and styling has strengthened the credibility of the growth stage as it is captured by the camera in a time lapse film. The lighting was also well balanced and appropriate such that it held my attention onto the movie. Most of the scenes were well lit and the director made excellent use of lighting to create different moods. 1. The film does not follow traditional narration techniques such as voice over. However, the story is told through the story progression with Mason starting from the 1st grade until he graduates from high school. Hence, narration of the story occurs as a progression and not as a conventional sequence of narrative story telling. 2. The film has a diverse audience and can be watched by everyone including families. The movie has reflected a critical aspect of family and relationships, particularly as it goes through various transformations throughout time when many things do not remain the same. 3. The film’s most prominent use of technology comes with the camera and filming. It employs a series of events occurring through a time lapse of 12 years and could be constructed into a sequence where Mason’s adulthood is focused. 4. The film constructs its meaning from the sequence of events that comprise the growth phase of Mason who struggles to balance the relationship with his father as his mother finds a replacement to start a new life. The film however does not follow the conventional series of events but the film maker has experimented with a new form of narrative that constructs the storyline. 5. The film’s subject is beyond any stereotype but is so relevant that many individuals and adults can relate to it. Hence, the film’s subject does not depict any stereotypes. Works Cited Linklater, Richard, dir. Boyhood. IFC Productions, 2014. Film. Read More