Four Things I Learned from Watching Boyhood

Boyhood (up for best picture) is the story of the life of one boy from age 7 to 18. The film by Richard Linklater was shot throughout the actors’ lives every year. Less of a traditional plot and more of a portrait of a life and a process of growing up, the movie tries to capture the entirety and nuances of a single life. This is what I walked away from the movie with.

1.       Growing up is hard even without blaming anyone.

a.       Growing up is just hard. Even without any external influences, growing up is just plain difficult. There are hundreds of different influences (some of them biological) that make becoming an adult a painful experience.

2.       No one is without sin.

a.       Watching the movie I was painfully aware of the poor choices that the characters were making. It was hard for me to even watch at times. Whether it was Mason (the titular boy), his mother, or any of the other characters, the viewer watches the montage of decisions, good and bad that go into shaping a boy’s life. Boyhood paints a portrait of life without glossing over the mundane choices that ripple outward in effect. Watching these characters struggling and failing to do the right thing makes me fully aware of my own failures and frailties. Sometimes it’s hard to watch and no one is blameless.

3.       The battle to influence children/students is hard.

a.       Watching this movie made me very aware of the competing forces at play in shaping all of our lives. For someone who spends their time trying to influence students for Christ it was difficult to be exposed to the pain, hardship, and poor choices that are all part of teenager’s lives. It’s hard to see students in pain and to understand that we are supremely limited in our capability of healing them.

4.       The battle to influence children/students is worthwhile.

a.       At the end of the day though, what Boyhood communicates is the sacredness of the life of every child. Every student is a precious soul in transition; a ship trying to stay upright in a stormy sea. Every person is a collage of circumstances, pains, and influences good and bad. This might seem imposing and hopeless for some but it shows how valuable and worthwhile the fight is. Viewing Boyhood makes it impossible to see a child and not see how much the Lord loves them.