IFC Premieres: Boyhood

Independent filmmaker Richard Linklater is obsessed with the passage of time. His most famous work is the Before trilogy: Before Sunrise (1995), Before Sunset (2004), and Before Midnight (2013) – all starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy as one-night lovers, then, nine years later, unrequited lovers, then, nine years yet again, a couple who may or may not stay together. But Boyhood (2014) surpasses even the Before trilogy. In Boyhood, which premiered last January at Sundance Film Festival, we watch child actor Ellar Coltraine, as six-year-old Mason, literally grow up over the course of two-and-a-half hours. He starts as a pudgy kid staring dreamily at the sky, then sprouts into a gawky teen, then morphs right into the cusp of adulthood. In some form of divine providence, young man Coltraine with his scruffy chin whiskers bears on uncanny resemblance to Hawke (Linklater's muse) who plays his step-dad. Patricia Arquette plays Mason's mom, and Linklater's own daughter Lorelei plays Mason's older sister. Shot over a period of 12 years, grabbing shooting schedules whenever the actors were available, Boyhood is positively the most amazing coming-of-age movie. Encased within a fictional story, the most mundane everyday stuff slips away with an overwhelming ache. This is emotional time-lapse photography of real life. See how fast it goes.

Multiple screening times daily. Through August 18. River Oaks Theatre, 2009 West Gray. For information, call 713-524-2175 or visit landmarktheatres.com. $10.50
July 18-Aug. 18, 11 a.m., 2014