Boyhood
Boyhood, an amazing story of a boy named Mason became one of my favorite movies of all time in an instant. After watching this movie, it created a whole new way for me to look at how other people live their lives. Although this story has never been a part of anything relating to me, it's almost like I could feel all of the emotions of the movie with Mason and he was struggling throughout his entire childhood. I don’t know exactly why this was, but at the end of the movie, I was able to just look back in awe of what I had just watched. This was especially the case when his stepfather threw a glass at him, causing it to shatter.
This book is based on Mason, his mom, and his older sister’s struggles throughout his childhood. Although he and his sister love their dad a great amount, he isn’t always there when they need him, and their mother struggles in maintaining a stable love-life as she gets married and divorced 2 times, both in which her husband ends up becoming an alcoholic. Mason struggles to find his way, by not taking the route most would hope or expect. He isn’t into sports and he isn’t seen as “cool”, he would rather spend his free time playing video games and taking pictures. His teachers don’t necessarily believe he has a strong work ethic but that's all because of what is going on in his life. No true father figure has never allowed him to become the man he was destined to be.
At first glance, this movie didn’t do anything special to tell me anything I didn’t know or blow my mind. What I realize now is that it showed the ugly truth. This movie feels real, and everything that it showed, good or bad happens every day in people’s lives. How it was able to tell its story in a very “straightforward” way was what really got me. Another thing I need to mention is that they filmed this over 12 years, using the same actors in order to make the film feel real. This was really important because it felt to me that I had grown up with Mason, and I guess I really did. Mason grows on you as a character as well. There are times where you wish he was different in the way he acts or the way looks, but the true awkwardness and personality of him throughout the film is what makes it so great.
In conclusion, I loved this movie. 9/10 and anyone with a heart should watch it. It created so many feelings and thoughts for me, and just out of my own enjoyment, I went back and rewatched the themes. The realness and authenticity is unmatched by any other movie and I was really happy that I chose this one. Yes, it isn’t a classic and it probably doesn’t even rank on most movie lists, but like I said, it’s instantly one of my favorites. Any movie that invokes this many feelings in a person who's watching it for the first time deserves recognition.