Coming of Age

BOYHOOD (2014)

11178476_800

12 Years a Boy

Richard Linklater’s magnificent opus about the life of Mason played by Ellar Coltrane (cool surname), from 5 to 18 years old and his sister, Samantha, played by the director’s daughter, Lorelei Linklater took 12 years to film.

This remarkable coming of age drama is an incredibly successful experiment and such a joy to watch, at 165 minutes it never feels long, drawn out or filled with exposition. Linklater elicits wonderful performances from all involved and creates many beautiful moments. He filmed once or twice a year for 12 years and had a script that he kept malleable as he re-watched the previous years’ footage and utilised the actor’s changes and life lessons to inform and add to the constantly adaptable script.

It’s such a unique experience watching the children growing up during the duration of the film and what a joy it is. Already placing on critics ‘best of the year’ lists, this is well deserving of any awards that are and will come its way.

This is his most personal film being loosely based on his own experiences as a child and this comes through with bucketloads of charm and moments of truth and humanity. Starring his long-time collaborator, Ethan Hawke and with Patricia Arquette as Mason and Sam’s father and mother giving honest, truthful performances, Linklater had asked Hawke to take over filming if he died during the period.

Linklater is one of the most interesting directors working today, from his debut with Slacker through Dazed and Confused, School of Rock to the Before trilogy, he has shown himself to be an artist of incredible talent, consistent and constantly creating works of merit and mastery.

A must see.

Read an interview with the star, Ellar Coltrane at thefilmstage.com here

BUY THE DVD HERE

DOWNLOAD THE FILM ON iTUNES HERE

4/5

PARIAH (2011)

pariah

Pariah (puh-rahy-uh)

1. A person without status 2.A rejected member of society 3.An outcast

“Who do you become when you can’t be yourself?”

Now there’s a question for you.
How many times do we hide our true feelings in public to just get along?
What if the real you was totally different from most of your peers? How would you cope?
Having a sexual preference different for the societal norm has its hurdles, of that there is no doubt.

Dee Rees makes her feature film debut as the writer/director with this heart-felt, emotionally honest tale of a young girl trying to fit into a world that doesn’t understand her.
Hey, that could be any coming of age piece, right? But what Rees shows us, very beautifully, is a confused girl looking for acceptance; surrounded by obstacles and hurdles that she must overcome.

The acting is honest and without any fanfare, which is so refreshing in a cinematic world where the pacing and on the nose acting are par for the course.

The music and the lack of music are beautifully placed; evoking certain emotions when it needs to and being noisy in its absence at other, more intimate moments.

Adepero Oduye (recently seen in 12 Years a Slave) encompasses Alike’s emotional journey with an understanding thoroughly filled with depth and layer (playing 17 years old very convincingly even though she’s in her 30’s), attempting to find her place in the world. Pernell Walker, Alike’s best friend, Laura is also excellent, a few years ahead of Alike as far as sexual experience goes and yet still close enough to empathise and do all she can to help.
Kim Wayans (of the clan Wayans) is both devastating and devastated as Alike’s mother, whose emotional struggle is no walk in the park with her expectations, religious beliefs, disappointments and social mores.
Charles Parnell walks the thin line between understanding his daughter and appeasing his wife with grace and dignity. Aasha Davis as Alike’s friend Bina, is wonderful, beautiful and spontaneous.

All in all the performances are flawless, the direction considered, the writing honest and the best thing about it is the fact that certain bits of narrative are alluded to, not explicitly explained. No big mysteries just an intelligently told story giving viewers the chance to fill in the blanks for themselves. This is a feminine touch that the masculine could learn a great deal from.

Rees utilised Kickstarter to finish the film that had taken 5 and a half years to make and should surely be an inspiration to upcoming film-makers to show that it can be done; outside the studio system, independently and on your own terms.

An honest depiction of a young girl’s transition into the big wide world.

3.5/5

BUY THE BLU-RAY DVD HERE

DOWNLOAD THE FILM ON iTUNES HERE