Richard Linklater: A Filmmaker Like No Other

To mark the release of Boyhood, we’re taking a look at the career of one of the world’s most innovative filmmakers, Richard Linklater. He may not get the same level of acclaim that is handed to the likes of Steven Spielberg or Martin Scorsese, for instance, but here is an auteur that is fully deserving of joining such an elite and exclusive list of cinematic geniuses, as his latest picture is emblematic of what has been a truly illustrious career.

He initially burst onto the scene back in 1991 with Slacker, though it was his next picture Dazed and Confused, which made him a director to be reckoned with. His first two films explored the notion of youth and vitality and seemed to be representative of where this filmmaker – who was just 31 at the time, was in his life. It’s that candid authenticity which has since gone on to define him as a director; who inevitably and somewhat inadvertently puts so much of himself into his films.

His next picture was the one that truly marked his inclination to be unique, to be subtle and, now with the benefit of hindsight, to be so Linklater. It was Before Sunrise, the charming, affable romantic piece of two young lovers crossing paths on a train. Set in Vienna, the director’s world cinema influences became apparent, as a man keen to explore other cultures and use them to inform his work, much in the same way director’s such as Ernst Lubitsch and Billy Wilder had achieved: just the other way around.

Then came a slight dip in form. But knowing that Boyhood was soon to be filmed – commencing at the beginning of the 21st century – let’s him off the hook somewhat; excusing him for the more mediocre pictures, as he was otherwise engaged with a masterpiece. But that’s not to say his films during those 12 years Boyhood was being filmed were all bad. No no, far from it. In fact, within that period we saw the brilliant – and arguably his most well-known picture – School of Rock; while Me and Orson Welles was generally met to relatively positive reviews. Meanwhile Bernie was a stunning, ingenious mockumentary, that blurred the lines between fiction and reality in such a unique way, as he again pushed the boundaries of the art form.

But his most accomplished offerings this side of the Millennium were his follow-up productions to Before Sunrise: Before Sunset and Before Midnight. A truly exceptional trilogy of films, we documented the relationship between the same two lovers – played by Linklater’s favourites, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. To revisit these characters was a risk, and yet spawned arguably one of the most naturalistic romances in cinema, as the story between the pair progressed so remarkably, so perfectly, and a way that so few other filmmakers would have achieved.

Which leads us to the present day, and Boyhood. To make a film across 12 years is hugely ambitious, and to use the same actors even more so. Our lead, played by Ellar Coltrane was just five years old at the start of play, and the film documents his life up until his 18th birthday. It’s an emotionally charged, epic study of life, and a film we can all relate to. It’s gripping and upsetting and uplifting, all at the same time. But the real beauty of it, is that nothing elaborately dramatic occurs. Linklater is not concerned with using his artistic licence is such a way; rather, he wants to make something real. Something era defining and relatable – and boy, has he done that!

It’s arguably his finest ever piece, and that’s truly saying something. Here is a director that is so determined to be expressive in a way like no other; yet without contrivance, it never feels false or forced. And in an age of film sequels, reboots, remakes, or adaptations of some kind: you have to be extremely thankful that there is such a thing as a Richard Linklater in amongst it all.