Wednesday, January 21, 2015

"You know how everyone's always saying seize the moment? I don't know, I'm kind of thinking it's the other way around, you know, like the moment seizes us." - Nicole in Boyhood

For those who are familiar with creative writing, the story arch is the most important element of a story. How you hook the reader from introducing your characters to a cresendo and then back down. This is the most important aspect that 'Boyhood' lacks.


"Boyhood" is the chronicle of a boy,Mason, from ages eight to eighteen going through the motions of a normal life. It is no 'To Kill a Mocking Bird'. The life we see through Mason's eyes is dull, insipid and lacks the curiosity of a child. The story starts off with Mason's mother Olivia (Patricia Arquette), bickering with her charming ex-husband, Mason Sr. (Ethan Hawke). Much to the dismay of the children, she moves to Houston, where she marries her professor. Mason experiences the pain of living with a step-dad . The marriage turns out badly for his mother, who decides to move once more to a smaller town. Mason is a silent child. If he is anguished, we are unable to see it unlike his elder sister, who always protests against the relocations. His happy times are during the weekends with his father, who is charming , happy-go-lucky but very irresponsible. He experiences girlfriends, breakups, smoking and finally off to college. And that pretty much sums up this movie. It is as if someone shared a home video with us but edited out the drama that goes on in people's lives.

A lot has been said about the filming of the movie over a period of twelve years as you see the kid age appropriately. Is that the only criteria for us to judge a movie? I am disappointed that "Boyhood" is nominated along with 'The Imitation Game' and 'The Grand Budapest Hotel'. It is not about the budget, the sets or even the actors. It is about the Plot. America has a divorce rate of 50% , so what we see and experience is very normal. It is as if they made a conscious effort to edit any dramatic moments in life - no one gets lost, no one meets with an accident, no one gets attacked or no one goes through any pain.  Ingmar Bergman's 'Seventh Seal' did not win a single Academy award and I would be disappointed if this movie wins even one!!!

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