Watch Lorelei Linklater Growing Up in Boyhood
Film: Boyhood (2014). Young Actress: Lorelei Linklater, age 8-19.
You've probably all heard by now that Boyhood was shot by reuniting the same actors over an eleven-year period. So instead of being recast as they age, the two kids at the center of the film - Mason (Ellar Coltrane) and his sister Samantha (Lorelei) - literally grow up right before our eyes. It opens when Mason and Samantha are about 6 and 8, respectively, and ends with Mason starting college.
The daughter of the movie's director Richard Linklater, Lorelei got cast by pleading with her dad to give her the role ("I was very interested in acting at that age, and I begged him for the part," she says in this interview), but she follows through and earns it with her performance as Samantha. Filming began in 2002, when Lorelei was just 8, and in her first scene, she smacks Mason in the face with a pillow, sings Britney Spears's "Baby One More Time," and fake-cries to get Mason in trouble. ("I was not actually a fan of Britney Spears!" Lorelei insists.) Samantha is something of an actress, too. In her next scene, the kids' mom (Patricia Arquette, Medium) announces that they're moving from an unspecified Texas small town to Houston, and Samantha goes into mimic mode again, smacking her lips repeatedly and saying in an effected voice, "We're not moving, no, no, no."
Lorelei's first scene
Compared to her quieter, more introspective brother, Samantha is sassy and at first, a little annoying. But as years pass and her family has to cope with various changes and challenges, Samantha is revealed to be deeper, supportive, and strong. Her character development is subtle and gradual, and so are most of the movie's plot points, leading some viewers to complain that "nothing happens." I enjoyed it, but it's probably not a movie for everyone. There is a strong, pleasantly nostalgic atmosphere of the early to mid-'00s, through music and the activities that Mason and Samantha do. (As kids, they attend midnight release parties for Harry Potter books, and as teens, they help their dad canvas the neighborhood with Obama campaign signs.) Most scenes flow and fit together so well that it's hard to believe that this was filmed over such a long period.
Much to her embarrassment, Samantha's dad tries to talk to her about birth control.
The movie does drag near the end, as its focus shifts from Mason and his family to just Mason. He's much more of an observer than a doer, and not nearly as interesting. Ellar Coltrane won Best Young Actor/Actress for this film, and even though he's good and gets more screentime, I think Lorelei gives a stronger performance. As I much as I enjoyed Boyhood, it also made me wish for a companion film, a Girlhood that would show many of the same events from Samantha's perspective.
AWARDS
Critics Choice: Won Best Picture, Best Young Actor/Actress (Ellar Coltrane), and Best Director; nominated for Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing, and Best Acting Ensemble
Golden Globes: Won Best Motion Picture: Drama and Best Director, nominated for Best Screenplay
Indie Spirit: Won Best Director, nominated for Best Feature and Best Editing
MTV Movie Awards: Nominated for Movie of the Year
Oscars: Nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Editing
Screen Actors Guild: Nominated for Outstanding Ensemble Performance
You've probably all heard by now that Boyhood was shot by reuniting the same actors over an eleven-year period. So instead of being recast as they age, the two kids at the center of the film - Mason (Ellar Coltrane) and his sister Samantha (Lorelei) - literally grow up right before our eyes. It opens when Mason and Samantha are about 6 and 8, respectively, and ends with Mason starting college.
The daughter of the movie's director Richard Linklater, Lorelei got cast by pleading with her dad to give her the role ("I was very interested in acting at that age, and I begged him for the part," she says in this interview), but she follows through and earns it with her performance as Samantha. Filming began in 2002, when Lorelei was just 8, and in her first scene, she smacks Mason in the face with a pillow, sings Britney Spears's "Baby One More Time," and fake-cries to get Mason in trouble. ("I was not actually a fan of Britney Spears!" Lorelei insists.) Samantha is something of an actress, too. In her next scene, the kids' mom (Patricia Arquette, Medium) announces that they're moving from an unspecified Texas small town to Houston, and Samantha goes into mimic mode again, smacking her lips repeatedly and saying in an effected voice, "We're not moving, no, no, no."
Click to viewLorelei's first scene
Compared to her quieter, more introspective brother, Samantha is sassy and at first, a little annoying. But as years pass and her family has to cope with various changes and challenges, Samantha is revealed to be deeper, supportive, and strong. Her character development is subtle and gradual, and so are most of the movie's plot points, leading some viewers to complain that "nothing happens." I enjoyed it, but it's probably not a movie for everyone. There is a strong, pleasantly nostalgic atmosphere of the early to mid-'00s, through music and the activities that Mason and Samantha do. (As kids, they attend midnight release parties for Harry Potter books, and as teens, they help their dad canvas the neighborhood with Obama campaign signs.) Most scenes flow and fit together so well that it's hard to believe that this was filmed over such a long period.
Much to her embarrassment, Samantha's dad tries to talk to her about birth control.
The movie does drag near the end, as its focus shifts from Mason and his family to just Mason. He's much more of an observer than a doer, and not nearly as interesting. Ellar Coltrane won Best Young Actor/Actress for this film, and even though he's good and gets more screentime, I think Lorelei gives a stronger performance. As I much as I enjoyed Boyhood, it also made me wish for a companion film, a Girlhood that would show many of the same events from Samantha's perspective.
AWARDS
Critics Choice: Won Best Picture, Best Young Actor/Actress (Ellar Coltrane), and Best Director; nominated for Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing, and Best Acting Ensemble
Golden Globes: Won Best Motion Picture: Drama and Best Director, nominated for Best Screenplay
Indie Spirit: Won Best Director, nominated for Best Feature and Best Editing
MTV Movie Awards: Nominated for Movie of the Year
Oscars: Nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Editing
Screen Actors Guild: Nominated for Outstanding Ensemble Performance