If you are a cinema lover, chances are that you have already seen Boyhood. At least, you are probably aware by now of this landmark film and its irresistible uniqueness residing on the fact that it was filmed over an eleven-year period in order to show the growth of the main characters throughout the years in a more real life manner.
To be honest, one can't help but question if the critic's reception, an almost unanimous and very enthusiastic acclaim, would have been very different if the film had not been carried out in the way it was, because Boyhood is actually a movie where noting much happens. The magic definitely relies on watching the cast growing together; its 165 minutes of running time pack more than a decade of these people's life reflected in this fantastic project.
It is truly incredible to see little Mason (the main character) grow before your eyes, making you feel like you are having an unprecedented opportunity to be a silent witness to somebody else's life. It reminded me of Kurt Vonnegut's words in Slaughterhouse Five. There, he talks about some fantastic alien creatures, the Tralfamadorians, who unlike us, are not stuck in uni-directional time, and therefore can go back and forth through it:
The most important thing I learned on Tralfamadore was that when a person dies he only appears to die. He is still very much alive in the past, so it is very silly for people to cry at his funeral. All moments, past, present and future, always have existed, always will exist. The Tralfamadorians can look at all the different moments just that way we can look at a stretch of the Rocky Mountains, for instance. They can see how permanent all the moments are, and they can look at any moment that interests them. It is just an illusion we have here on Earth that one moment follows another one, like beads on a string, and that once a moment is gone it is gone forever.When a Tralfamadorian sees a corpse, all he thinks is that the dead person is in a bad condition in that particular moment, but that the same person is just fine in plenty of other moments. Now, when I myself hear that somebody is dead, I simply shrug and say what the Tralfamadorians say about dead people, which is "so it goes.”
I believe life is like this. As much as I think we should strive to make it the best we can, there will always be moments when one feels trapped, stagnant or low. But they are only temporary. The same goes for those good times, they will also pass—so cherish them while they last so they can become golden memories you can revisit and bring true joy to your heart. One has to learn to embrace life with all the love one has in our hearts, without expecting anything in return, for it is they way it is and we can only do so much. Our peace resides in our perception, our reaction to the events that happen around us.
Even the darkest night won't last forever. If you are going through a bad period in your life, don't lose much sleep tonight, be assured that this situation won't be permanent, and it doesn't define you. Every time you feel stuck, just remember the Tralfamadorians.
Good night/Good morning!
Thanks for reading...