The life of Mason, from early childhood to his arrival at college. Starring Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke.
Directed by Richard Linklater.
The incredible nature of this film is that of the record-breaking shooting time of over 12 years of this kid’s life in real time. That was enough of a hook for me. A fair warning though, it is a long one. I think it deserves a watch at least once for it’s realistic approach and bemusement of time going by. I really enjoyed the pop cultural references that take us along this period of time. It will have you getting excited about the music and fads that flew right by us.
The story line works well with the cast that ultimately grew into it as time goes along. Ethan Hawk and Patricia Arquette are natural in their roles as was Ellar Coltrane. They really give you a sense of situation relevance to emotion as they are caught up in some tough moments. The ultimate tone of this film though was very strait forward moving and did hang on any one note. It was not your typical situation-based story, but rather a capturing of time. This premise struck me as original and entertaining. I encourage all who enjoy that type of story to delve in. I really encourage all parents to watch this as it will really make you think about how important childhood experiences are and how they shape us as adults.