Already a strong contender for the Oscars, winning awards and nominations at SXSW, The Norwegian International Film Festival, Sydney Film Festival, as well as several others, “Boyhood” has been captivating audiences wherever it appears. What makes it so unique is the directive approach in which this piece of art was cultivated. Over a period of 12 years, writer and director Richard Linklater created and filmed the movie focused on the main character Mason, played by the young Ellar Coltrane, throughout his adolescence into early adulthood. In the history of cinema, this style of directing has never been attempted before, and the end result of the project is far from disappointing.

  Not only does “Boyhood “capture the historical events of the past decade, such as the 2008 presidential campaign, or events that shocked America while in the climax of the Iraq War, the film was directed in such a way that it feels like you are sitting alongside the characters as events unfolded before their eyes.

  Viewers cant help but follow along with Mason as he stumbled through the common milestones typical of growing up in present day America: hanging out with people that were clearly bad influences; getting over your first heart break; graduating, and simply maturing into an adult. Whether it was bonding with his father on a camping trip, watching his mother suffer through a series of bad relationships, or just the typical afternoon spent playing Halo on Xbox, the relatability of the characters become enduring and heart wrenching to watch. It is not your typical Hollywood movie by any means. It feels more like you are reliving the little moments of childhood that molded most middle class children. The generational awareness really is the power and pull behind this film.

 “Everything about this movie was odd, and kind of impractical, kind of crazy,” said Richard Linklater on the making of the film at a SXSW Q&A. Over 12 years in the making, the cast shot the entire movie in only 39 days sporadically shot throughout the years, with a year in pre-production and two in post-production. “I mean everything about it just doesn’t make sense,” Linklater adds with a smirk as he gets some laughter from the crowd.

  According to Linklater, the actors had a collaborative effort in the development of their on screen characters. The collaboration is noticeably present when you’re watching the conversations and mannerisms between the children and their parents. It all seems so organic, almost as if they were actually family. The on screen chemistry is undeniable and is what really holds the movie together through it’s almost three hour long viewing.

  This isn’t a movie for everyone. It is not a big-budget Hollywood action movie, or some cheesy romantic-comedy. “Boyhood” is a drama about growing up in a typical, middle class neighborhood with divorced parents.

  The essence of the movie is not in the climactic events in life, but it is rather in the small, seemingly insignificant parts of life leading up to those big defining events, the parts of life that most people take for granted.

  As a whole, “Boyhood” accurately encapsulates a generation of youths and how many in our society have lived, loved, laughed and grown into adults.