Boyhood 2014 Criterion Collection
Talk about a life's work. Richard Linklater spent 12 years creating this film. Now, that's not 12 years keeping an idea alive, waiting for a technology to come along, or hassling producers. That's 12 years making the movie. He started filming a seven-year-old in 2002, kept filming him as he grew up, and just released the final product. Now, again just to clarify, that's the same boy over a 12 year span, the same side characters, the same area of the country. It's an amazing concept, a brand-new way of producing a story, a feat that's almost difficult to wrap your mind around. And in no way is this a biography, unless you consider it Linklater's tale of his own growing up. Boyhood is a drama on a grand scale, an epic with no frills, a plot with unparalleled scope, one hell of a movie.

Meet Mason. He's a Texas boy, son of a single mom, brother of a snotty older sister, creative but distracted at school; not much different than you or me. His dad hasn't been around for a few years, but when the family and the estranged father all find themselves in the same city, Mason and his sister begin a relationship with a man they barely know. Their mother has problems of her own, marrying a string of losers that would rather drink than spend quality time with their new family unit, trying to get her degree while still working to support her kids. And all the while Mason grows up; changing with the times, meeting new friends, making mistakes, experimenting with drugs & haircuts, living the standard American life while trying to be different; again, not too abnormal. We follow Mason over the course of 12 years, from childhood to college, from boyhood to independence, through the changes that will shape his life forever.


Director: Richard Linklater
Cast: Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Elijah Smith, Lorelei Linklater
Country: USA
Genre: Drama

BD50 + BD25, 2 x DVD9 | 1080p AVC, NTSC | 02:45:28 | 67.5 Gb + 14.6 Gb + 3% rec
Language: English
Subtitles: English

Extras:

DISC ONE:

Commentary - this audio commentary features director Richard Linklater, producer Cathleen Sutherland, editor Sandra Adair, coproducer and first assistant director Vince Palmo Jr., production designer Rodney Becker, costume designer Kari Perkins, casting director Beth Sepko-Lindsey, and actors Marco perella, Libby Villari, and Andrew Villarreal. The bulk of the comments address the unusual production history of the film, how and where various parts of the film were shot (with some interesting comments about the film stock that was used), some political trends and events that are documented in the film, the main relationships in the film, etc. The commentary was recorded exclusively for Criterion in 2015.

DISC TWO:

Twelve Years - this documentary film chronicles the long and unusual production history of Boyhood. In it director Richard Linklater and various cast and crew members discuss their contributions to the film, some interesting dilemmas they faced, how their lives changed during the years, etc. Plenty of raw footage from the shooting sessions is included as well. The documentary was produced exclusively for Criterion in 2015. In English, not subtitled. (50 min, 1080i).

Memories of the Present - in this filmed conversation, moderated by producer John Pierson, director Richard Linklater and actors Patricia Arquette and Ellar Coltrane discuss the shooting of Boyhood, their desire to capture on a film a long but genuine human experience, the evolution of the relationships in the film, how the film (as well as the story) matured during the years, how the critics and casual viewers reacted to the film, etc. The conversation was recorded in Austin, Texas in December 2015. In English, not subtitled. (58 min, 1080p).

Always Now - in this filmed conversation, actors Ethan Hawke and Ellar Coltrane explain why Boyhood was an extremely challenging and risky project, the original 'story' evolved and in the process also effected their real lives, why everyone was willing to go only as far as Ellar Coltrane was able to take the story, how Richard Linklater envisioned the complete film and ultimately shot it, etc. The conversation was filmed in New York in December 2015. In English, not subtitled. (31 min, 1080p).

Time of Your Life - presented here is a brand new visual essay written by critic Michael Koresky and narrated by actor Ellar Coltrane. Included in the essay are archival stills, footage from other Richard Linklater films, and original stills and footage from Boyhood. The essay was produced exclusively for Criterion in 2015. In English, not subtitled. (13 min, 1080p).

Through the Years - presented in this video program are on-set photographs that were taken by photographer/writer Matt Lankes during the shooting of Boyhood. The photographs and a collection of writings by Matt Lankes, director Richard Linklater, producer Cathleen Sutherland, and actors Ethan Hawke, Patricia Arquette, and Ellar Coltrane were later on used in the book "Boyhood": Twelve Years of Film. Audio excerpts from these writings, read by cast and crew members, are also used in the program. In English, not subtitled. (24 min, 1080p).