Boyhood re-run, plus Richard Linklater retrospective at the PCC
Richard Linklater's Boyhood returns to UK cinemas for a much deserved second run, plus the Prince Charles Cinema hosts a 'selectrospective' on Linklater's best known works.
Filmed in 39 days over the course of 12 years, Richard Linklater teamed up with his old-time favourites Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette in a film that charts the growth of a boy from childhood to college. Calling Boyhood a film doesn’t quite do it justice. It’s a cinematic vision of unprecedented dedication and perseverance. The uniqueness of this work is that, instead of using a number of different actors to show a process of ageing, the director sticks with the same actors over 12 years, giving the film a pseudo-documentary feel in its bid for authenticity.
Hailed as the gem in the crown of last year’s Sundance festival, Boyhood is both an extension and a maturation of Linklater’s oeuvre. Linklater is an art-house favourite, known for directing cult hits Dazed and Confused, Slacker and the Before Sunrise trilogy (essential film viewing). The indie director typically set each of his movies in a 24 hour period and these films give life’s unnoticed banalities and seemingly insignificant moments the courtesy of a wide-screen landscape.
But whereas his earlier films focus on a condensed period of time, Boyhood balances incredible scope with a foregrounding of understated vignettes, all this set to the background of a changing American political landscape. A divorced father’s attempt to reconnect with his teenage son over an enthusiasm for Star Wars, first loves and broken hearts, a series of alcoholic step-fathers and marital spats: all these scenes eschew melodrama for subtlety. Although adolescence is a popular and ripe subject matter for films, Boyhood avoids the pitfalls of clichéd teenage angst and creative awakening. It is as much a study of the intricacies of family life and a wider meditation on change as it is a portrait of the artist as a young man.
Now that Boyhood is looking to clean up at the Oscars, with nominations across a range of categories, it's returned to UK cinemas for a second run from January-February.
And, if you loved Boyhood, don't miss the Prince Charles Cinema's Richard Linklater 'selectrospective', featuring Slacker, Dazed and Confused, A Scanner Darkly and The Before Trilogy, that's running until the 26th of February. Click here for full listings.
Hailed as the gem in the crown of last year’s Sundance festival, Boyhood is both an extension and a maturation of Linklater’s oeuvre. Linklater is an art-house favourite, known for directing cult hits Dazed and Confused, Slacker and the Before Sunrise trilogy (essential film viewing). The indie director typically set each of his movies in a 24 hour period and these films give life’s unnoticed banalities and seemingly insignificant moments the courtesy of a wide-screen landscape.
But whereas his earlier films focus on a condensed period of time, Boyhood balances incredible scope with a foregrounding of understated vignettes, all this set to the background of a changing American political landscape. A divorced father’s attempt to reconnect with his teenage son over an enthusiasm for Star Wars, first loves and broken hearts, a series of alcoholic step-fathers and marital spats: all these scenes eschew melodrama for subtlety. Although adolescence is a popular and ripe subject matter for films, Boyhood avoids the pitfalls of clichéd teenage angst and creative awakening. It is as much a study of the intricacies of family life and a wider meditation on change as it is a portrait of the artist as a young man.
Now that Boyhood is looking to clean up at the Oscars, with nominations across a range of categories, it's returned to UK cinemas for a second run from January-February.
And, if you loved Boyhood, don't miss the Prince Charles Cinema's Richard Linklater 'selectrospective', featuring Slacker, Dazed and Confused, A Scanner Darkly and The Before Trilogy, that's running until the 26th of February. Click here for full listings.
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What | Boyhood re-run, plus Richard Linklater retrospective at the PCC |
Where | Prince Charles Cinema, 7 Leicester Place, London, WC2H 7BY | MAP |
Nearest tube | Leicester Square (underground) |
When |
21 Jan 15 – 28 Feb 15, various cinemas across London |
Price | £12 |
Website | Click here for a list of cinemas showing Boyhood in London this month. |