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Oh, Boyhood – LIFF to hold free screening of new family drama

Twelve years. When a filmmaker refers to his latest project as being twelve years in the making, he’s usually creating a casual euphemism for development hell. In Austin-based director Richard Linklater’s case, though, he’s been shooting his new film Boyhood for more than a decade.

In 2002, he approached actors Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette with a bold and secretive idea: Let’s shoot for one week every year for 12 years to tell the evolving story of one family in what amounts to real time. Enter Ellar Coltrane, just an 8-year-old Austinite back then, who was cast in the titular role and who we now have the unique pleasure of seeing grow up, quite literally, on screen before our eyes.

Feeling like a more narrative-driven spin on the English-produced Up series of documentaries, Boyhood blends fact with the fictional advances and curveballs of time. Linklater has said that every story thread in the film was plucked from real life experiences, either those from his past or anecdotes shared by his cast, young and old.

But it’s the viewpoint of a child that audiences will most appreciate as Coltrane’s Mason, and Linklater’s real-life daughter Lorelei, navigate the often rocky terrain of adolescence amid the ups and downs of their parent’s disintegrated relationship, vacations, family dinners, trouble at school and more—all told through Linklater’s immersive and wholly believable snapshots.

The Louisiana International Film Festival is holding a free pre-release screening of the film this Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Cinemark Theater at Perkins Rowe. Tickets are limited and free registration is required. To get tickets, visit lifilmfest.org. Watch the trailer below: