In production far longer than any film one is bound to see this summer, we’d wager a bet there also won’t be a more epic and relatable story to hit theaters in the upcoming season than that found in Boyhood. Shot, as you now know, over the course of 12 years, Richard Linklater, coming off last year’s best film, has one-upped himself yet again with this small-scale, ambitious coming-of-age drama, which premiered at Sundance earlier this year.
If one has even an inkling of desire to see this, I’d encourage you to turn away now and save the experience for the theaters — but if, somehow, you’re on the fence, the first trailer has landed today. In our review we said that “this is a film of many small moments, all added together to make something quite wonderful,” which can already be gleaned below.
So, if one must, check out the preview below for the film starring Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, and Linklater’s daughter, Lorelei, then our extensive interview with the director and his star here.
Filmed over 12 years with the same cast, Richard Linklater’s BOYHOOD is a groundbreaking story of growing up as seen through the eyes of a child named Mason (a breakthrough performance by Ellar Coltrane), who literally grows up on screen before our eyes. Starring Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette as Mason’s parents and newcomer Lorelei Linklater as his sister Samantha, BOYHOOD charts the rocky terrain of childhood like no other film has before. Snapshots of adolescence from road trips and family dinners to birthdays and graduations and all the moments in between become transcendent, set to a soundtrack spanning the years from Coldplay’s Yellow to Arcade Fire’s Deep Blue. BOYHOOD is both a nostalgic time capsule of the recent past and an ode to growing up and parenting. It’s impossible to watch Mason and his family without thinking about our own journey.
Boyhood arrives on July 11th.