In 2014, a phenomenal film was named a creative subversion by The New York Times, which shined at the 64th Berlin Film Festival in February and won the Silver Bear! This film abandons the usual film magic, whether it is from the growth of actors or plot layout, let time be the master, spending twelve years to truly record the growth process of a boy from 6 to 18 years old, as well as the changes in his parents and the surrounding world, which is a model of contemporary film realism, it is "Boyhood"!
The film's director Richard Linklater is widely known for his "love in the trilogy" of "Love Before Dawn Breaks", "Love at Sunset and Dusk", and "Love Before Midnight Falls", and his film style is to eliminate the gap between film and life with documentary-like characteristics, so as to truly reflect the common life and emotional experience of human beings in the process of time. In this way of breaking the convention, give the film narrative effect a new idea, and show the charm of the movie in another way!
He is a director who is best at using time to deliver sincerity. 1995, 2004, 2013, every 9 years to hand over a "love in", this "Boyhood" is a step further, he tracked a family for twelve years, let the actors grow up naturally under the camera, showing this seamless growth experience, almost no film has explored, as long as you care about the development of the art of film and the possibilities of the future, you should take a look at it.
Filming began in 2002, with Richard Linklater insisting on shooting as a small actor to show his natural upbringing and complete life experience. But in order not to disturb the normal life of actor Ella Cortland, the shooting was only done in the summer to squeeze out a short time.
For the next 12 years, director Richard Linklater spent three or four days a year bringing together the same group of actors to discuss the lives and fates of the characters in the script, and to create a texas boy named Mason, who was finally released in 2013, with a shooting span of 4,000 days, but only 45 days to start shooting.
A 12-year-long film shoot breaks the film conventions we know for it on many levels. In the United States, it is illegal to enter into any contract with a validity period of more than 7 years, so the film cannot sign a contract with its actors for up to 12 years, in other words, they are somehow voluntary.
Linklater had to maintain the crew's presence for such a long time, gathering members on a regular basis, and the main cast could not be less. He also had to convince investors not to think about returns for such a long time, which was almost like letting people do charity.
In addition to overcoming the difficulties of the shooting staff and the script, technology is a thorny problem, but also because the technology is more and more advanced, in order to make 12 years ago and the current shooting of the image seamlessly in line, the texture of the negative and the texture of the digital image also need a lot of adjustments, in order to look harmonious.
The editor of "Boyhood" once said that the director shoots about three or four days a year, so his working hours are about one month a year, and every year they will look at the material cut last year and discuss how the next story should happen.
"It's a bit like Zen, you don't have to worry about what the next material is, you don't know what the ending will look like, I just have to focus on finding the pieces that moved me, and of course I don't know how to cut it next." 」
Such a movie full of uncertainties, the final effect gave everyone a surprise. The trailer of the film has been viewed 3.4 million times on Youtube, which is a miracle of literary films.
The core of Linklater's work is nothing more than "love" and "growth", "Boyhood" chooses such a special period when the male protagonist as a baseball player is about to enter college from high school, and the film also says "now is college, no longer a high school student" through different roles, "growth" is naturally contained in it, whether it is mentality or life experience, the movie is reflected.
To use a traditional word to describe this movie, it can be called epee, the whole movie does not have any stimulating shots and language, without any sensational image and performance, but he effectively splits the memory cage about growth and family affection in people's hearts, and releases these memories, he is like a mirror of life, standing in front of you, but this mirror does not show your life, but shows the truth behind life.
As in Linklater's usual films, the characters in it never seem to stop talking, talking about wherever it is, and all the dialogue is like an improvisational performance. "Boyhood" has established all the plot outlines before filming, and although the specific dialogue is completed while shooting, without exception, all of them have been carefully crafted.
"Boyhood" is between classic films and contemporary art films, and does not fall into any traditional traps. It is a model of contemporary cinematic realism, and the pleasure it brings is both obvious and mysterious. From the design of the story to the selection of the characters are the key to the quality of the film, and the director has done it in his own way.
Boyhood 2014
Director: Richard Linklater
Writers: Richard Linklater
Starring: Ella Cortland
Douban 8.5 IMDb 8.0
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