I haven't been able to get my mind off of "Boyhood." It's one of those movies that I instantly want to watch again just to catch the different nuances you miss the first time. I know part of this was that it reminded me of being in Houston, as the film was made there and in Austin. Director Richard Linklater is a Houston native, and he captures the mood so well that the setting is always its own character in each of his films (see "Dazed and Confused"). The second reason has everything to do with my faith.
Being a moviegoer first, then a Christian, has irrevocably changed my viewing habits. When I was in high school, my mom once told me that I only watched movies that had guns and sex. She was mostly right. I secretly loved our movie dates when I was free to cry during "Steel Magnolia." Becoming a Christian changed a lot of my habits. I denounced horror films from the get go, and for the most part I've stayed far from them. Sometimes I DVR an older film I've seen before just to see if it gives me the same reaction it gave me as a kid. Now when someone is slaughtered on screen it doesn't seem so cool.
I'm currently wrestling with R-rated comedies. It's sad when the world around me cannot distinguish a Christian from a non-Christian. So why am I watching "Bridesmaids," or "The Hangover" and it's sequel (I stayed away from part 3), or "Ted"? So there are some I see and some I don't. I always feel like I'm trying to live this life of duality. It's not really working. Same thing goes for my tv show watching.
So of course I inject my faith onto the movies I see. "Boyhood" gained notoriety for filming scenes over a 12 year span, following the life of Mason Evans Jr, his sister and his mom, played beautifully by Patricia Arquette. It resembles Michael Apted's "7Up" series in that respect. Those that haven't seen the film may want to stop and see the film for themselves. There are certain scenes that I will spoil if you read any further.
The film begins in 2002 where we meet Mason, his sister and mom Olivia. Early on, Mason sees Olivia and her boyfriend fight. It ends up being a theme throughout the movie. She tells her boyfriend, "I would love to have some time to myself! I would love to just go to a fuckin' movie!" Poor Mason also hears statements like "mistake". Olivia's search for something more transports them to Houston, where she can attend college.
There are several scenes of transition for Mason as he enters new school after new school. In junior high, he's told by another student, "Welcome to the Suck." There are little scenes here that would otherwise be throwaway scenes. Like Mason's sister arguing with Olivia about going to school when they don't have clean laundry, Mason entering class without a backpack, or notes being passed his way after he gets a haircut.
Mason's biological father, Mason Sr., is played by Ethan Hawke. When we meet him he drives up in a single man's car, black and sporty. He takes the kids bowling and curses while they eat pizza. He doesn't answer Mason directly when he's asked if he's moving back to Texas, or if him and Olivia are getting back together. Ethan plays him well, as the type of guy who is too "free" to become tethered to any kind of responsibility. He's like the perpetual guitar player in a smoky lounge still trying to swing a record deal.
While attending school, Olivia meets Professor Welbrock who takes an immediate fancy towards her (as Mason is awkwardly witnessing). The two end up becoming a blended family. While there are moments of harmony, there's a melancholy tone that wont let go. We notice it at the dinner table when Olivia and Bill are talking about taking the kids "next time" to Europe, or when Bill makes a scene about the kids not doing their chores before their father arrives for visitation. Later in an act of pure spite, he takes Mason to the barber to cut his long hair so he can look like a man and not a girl.
Bill has other demons too. We frequently see him at the local liquor store. at first it seems casual, later he's hiding his liquor behind the liquid detergent, and by the end of their relationship, he's defiantly pouring shots during a family dinner. After yelling at the kids and smashing glasses, he turns to Mason and says. "You don't like me very much, do you Mason? That's okay, neither do I."
The abusive relationship ends up with Olivia taking the kids. Bill's kids must stay, watching from the top of the stairs as the woman they called "mommy" and their brother and sister leave. It's the first of many heartbreaks. Later, Olivia is being grilled by daughter Samantha. What's going to happen to them? Where are we going to live? Arquette, after trying to answer her daughter's pleas finally breaks down. "I don't have the answers for everything!"
Mason eventually does get to high school. The men in his life don't so much better. There's a high school teacher who tries to convince Mason that art wont pay the bills. Olivia's third husband is a military, tough guy type, who also drinks and reminds Mason that his real father didn't stay but he did. Mason's friends aren't much better. On an overnighter with a group of boys, they begin grilling discussing slutty girls and attack each other's virginity.
When we finally get a decent manly influence, it comes by way of Mason's dad. Eventually he "grows up," remarries, trades in the bad-ass-mobile for a mini-van, has a baby. When Mason turns 15 they take a trip to his wife's family home. It is there that Mason receives two gifts, a suit and a Bible. It feels so odd in a movie that has no trace of spirituality or mention of religion. But I think that's intentional. Mason Sr. jokes about Mason being baptized in the nearby pond. Mason's face when he gets his Bible isn't one of appreciation. It's almost mockingly absurd. Strange how the family with the Bible seems so odd among a group of humanists and non-believers.
"Boyhood" not only captures the times convincingly, it brazenly shows us male culture and its affect on male youth. While Mason makes it to college and has a typical movie ending with the hippie roommate and the too-cute friend (complete with sunset soliloquy), you have to wonder how he will fare beyond his adolescence. It's saddening to know that there are too many Olivia's out there, who stake claim in the outward appearances of men who have no heart for God. How many Mason's are in college who have no idea of the plans Jesus has put forth in their lives?
Let me state that I don't fault Linklater for his film. It's truly a remarkable feat of movie making. I felt much the same way about "Boyhood" that I did watching NBC's "Parenthood." You're not a true "Brave"rman without the heart of God. But I digress. If anything my faith connects me with the characters I watch even more so. How many Olivia's are in my own school system? How many Mason's are in my classroom?
Scout Finch in "To Kill a Mockingbird" says she doesn't love books because how can one love breathing? She had been reading before she could remember. the same goes for movies. I don't remember a life before movies. How can one love breathing when it's just part of your life? Now they've just gotten better with the heart of Jesus.
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