Boyhood (2014) by Richard Linklater got the attention last year as it was shot over 12 years. The story is about the happenings in the life of a six-year-old boy (Mason Jr played by Ellar Coltrane) as he grows older till he becomes an adult and gets into college. He is raised along with his elder sister by his mother as a single parent. All along the 2:45 Hours movie, we are travelling along with Mason, but at the end, we realize the film is not only about Mason but about his mother and her poor (unfortunate) life partner choices as well. As Mason gets into his teenage he gets exposed to Alcohol and smoking, at this point I was expecting to see his life get derailed but surprisingly Mason maintains his balance thanks to the wise advice he gets from his teacher and his biological father, who is optimistic storytelling which I liked.
The screenplay is simple, a straight line yet sharp, which makes it stand out from usual Hollywood family dramas. It focuses on Mason but stays away from the cliche of it being a narration by Mason about his own life. All the extraneous happenings outside of Mason’s view have been left out. A brilliant film and a must-see, but keep a boatload of patience due to the long running time.