(Life Through the Lens - Photo Illustration/MetroCreativeConnection)

“It is always right now.”

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Childhood. What a tricky time in life. Everything matters … while nothing matters. Some moments are dripping with infinity while others are as disposable as a dirty diaper. Relationships define you but are dropped daily. Your brain is a sponge, your actions are mirrored, your perception is shallow, but your senses are working overtime. There is no time as confusing or critical as childhood.

When I think on my childhood, I instantly feel sweaty … and nervous … and slightly nauseous. I am drawn to certain moments and feelings while absolutely repulsed by others. Like everyone’s childhood, I am proud of my survival and ascension, but I cannot claim it all. I just … I can’t.

The overwhelming impression that I receive when dwelling on my first 18 years is that of a mystic fog. It is a cloud of feelings, moments, conversations, relationships, firsts, highs and lows. It doesn’t even seem real, honestly. It may be better visualized as an endless series of vignettes. The moments don’t always stack — the story doesn’t always seem cohesive — but the impressions unite into the narrative.

My childhood is comprised of the smell of pancakes, the emptiness of shame, the sound of choral music, the freedom of boredom, the feeling of being overlooked, the pull to create. It is a stream of looks, of laughter, of silence, of invisible energies, of expectations, of disappointments, of acceptance and rejection.

It would make a terrible movie with no explosions or tangible morals. It doesn’t end with me raised on shoulders and surrounded by a musical number. It doesn’t close with universal acclaim or utter failure. It just kind of … ends. The page turned, and life continued. Like a real childhood, mine is only exceptional to me. They are MY glimpses and MY formative flashes. They are the unending flickers that have made the illusion of my childhood.

***

Mason (Ellar Coltrane) is 6. He is young, innocent and ornery. He loves his mom but gives her hell — he misses his dad since the split and subsequent move to Alaska. Mason is, for all intents and purposes, a normal child.

Then life happens. Mason is moved abruptly. Mason’s mom gets remarried to a drunk. Mason watches Harry Potter. Mason goes to an Astros game. Mason gets his hair cut. Mason goes camping. Mason gets a birthday gun. Mason takes up photography. Mason washes dishes. Mason goes through a breakup. Mason leaves home. Before you know it, Mason is 18 and goes hiking.

That’s it! In some ways, nothing happens. In a more real and palpable sense, everything happens. That’s childhood, folks!

***

There are few (if no) directors with the vision of Richard Linklater. All of his movies may not be to the same level, but his filmography screams of “perceptive genius!” He has a knack for bringing reality to life on the screen. His delicate yet bold approach often leaves me speechless.

“Boyhood” is a movie unlike any you have ever seen! Heck, it is unlike anything ANYONE has ever seen! Instead of constructing the story around a troupe of ever-growing “Masons” and weaving a complicated yet culminating narrative toward a triumphant termination, Linklater cast a small band of actors and crew to GROW WITH THE FILM. You heard me right: They agreed to film this movie for 12 years! Each year a new segment was filmed with the aging actors depicting moments in a genuine and naturally complicated life. No staging necessary – no formulaic drama – no manipulated trauma … just life.

The end result is a real slice of life. Moments that, to the outside world, appear mundane are injected with immediacy and importance. Issues that seem average are elevated to foundational in scope. Every moment matters because they happen, regardless of the pomp or circumstance. As the mom struggles with rectifying in the end: You are more than the highlight reel played at your funeral. Instead, you are a culmination of every one of the billions and billions of moments that make you YOU.

Linklater truly shines in this experiment. His camerawork is minimal yet vibrant. His script is effortless and energetic. His ability to capture time and culture is alive! His foresight proves masterful: A person is not merely the highs and lows – a person is found in every moment experienced.

Coltrane is a wonder to watch grow. Although cast at 6 years old, he becomes a man before your eyes! He does a great job of capturing each moment of childhood; even his little unprofessional moments lend themselves to authenticity. Ethan Hawke is perfectly cast as the once-absent-but-full-hearted father; his yearning is on full display – his bravery and regret are endearing. Patricia Arquette deserves her Oscar for her portrayal of the mother; she is equal parts strong yet fragile (not an easy balance to play).

Like no movie before or since, “Boyhood” highlights the importance of “the moment.” Regardless of where you are coming from or where you are going, you are only ever RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE. Despite future plans or past failures, there is only ever RIGHT NOW. The past and the future are concepts – the present is a reality. Seize the only moment you will ever truly have!

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REPORT CARD: “Boyhood.”

Assessment: A modern masterpiece