Let me start my review by stating my initial reactions as I was watching the movie: I didn't like it. The plot was trodding and it seemed heavy-handed in its dealings with things like alcoholism and divorce. The acting seemed flat and almost amateur. We follow Mason with his older sister and mother as they move across Texas for a variety of reasons, and all I could think of were the technical aspects of the production. Questions floated through my mind as to "what if an actor died?," "how did they organize a shooting schedule?," and focus on the story was at time compromised. About midway through the film, however, all my concerns slowly melted away, and I found myself realizing that my criticisms and concerns were becoming more and more invalid. What I was watching was special, indeed, and by the time the last lines were spoken and the film went black to a close, it was a feeling of breathlessness.
What I realized midway through the film was that this film felt more real than most. Mason is a quiet boy, talks politely, sulks around the city, grows up and wants to be an artist. Oh, and he wants to delete his Facebook. While I perhaps didn't personally find a connection with his experiences, I nonetheless saw him as a true character, and the awkward way he spoke and delivered lines wasn't necessarily "bad acting," it was real. The way we hear these characters speak, and especially with Mason and his sister, it is accurate, and it is how kids talk. It's really something I have never seen in a movie before, and it became so challenging and rewarding. No one makes movies about a kid like Mason, and seeing a story with so little dramatic action and consequence (while at times slow), was invigorating.
The film's original title was "12 Years" (changed due to last year's Oscar-winner, of course) and in a way, I think it's the more accurate title. Yes, we follow this boy over the course of a decade, but we also follow his father, played by Ethan Hawke, and his mother (Patricia Arquette). Both have their problems, and we see over time how people adapt, how relationships change... Both his parents are divorced, and in fact they only have two scenes together: one near the beginning of the film which erupts into a huge argument, and one near the end at Mason's graduation from high school. Look at how they have changed as people, not just physically, but emotionally - the cadence of their words and how they address each other...
The film, too, could have just as easily been called "Motherhood." Patricia Arquette becomes one of the cinema's great moms. We want to love her and cherish her in our life as the film plays out. She is fragile, has poor choice in men, but her heart is always with her children, and her willingness to let them grow and mature in their own ways is one of the main aspects explored, and she is surely a driving force throughout most of the film. A scene midway through the film shows her talking to a construction worker about going to school and getting an education, and years later we see him again, having taken her advice. The film isn't littered with borderline-saccharine moments like this, but like life, they are touching and unexpected when they do happen. Ethan Hawke is also quietly effective as a father we can all come to love, a father we would all hope to have guide us through the footsteps of life.
The praise for the film obviously goes towards concept and execution. Richard Linklater is no stranger to stories like this, and his "Before Sunrise" trilogy is a masterclass in acting, story, and character development. What a glorious resume this man is building, and perhaps no one else in Hollywood understands the maturation of human beings like he. I think everyone will take away something different from this film. There are ideas and thoughts that you'll ponder long after the film is over, and even if it's not the most gripping of film dramas, it does what most of the great movies in history do: it stays with you.
(Awards potential: Best Director, Best Supporting Actress (Arquette), Best Supporting Actor (Hawke), Best Original Screenplay)
*Best Picture of the Year is a tricky category, and based on the overall accomplishments of the film, I believe this is purely a directorial achievement. I am not necessarily convinced that this movie is one that the Academy would (or could) reward with a Best Picture nomination... Prove me wrong.
