Boyhood: much like life itself, Richard Linklater’s story advances relentlessly in time; there are few seemingly important events. Therein lies the subtle greatness in this film: growing up is a sum of many small events, not a few big ones. All the while, it presents the viewer with characters that can be easily relatable and cared about. The cast (Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke) build beautifully upon those characters. Visually, the film is unadorned; that puts the focus squarely on the characters and their story, however.

See what I wrote before: Boyhood