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'Sara'S' review: Anchored by a powerful script, this simple film breaks the conventions of the feel-good template

Jude Anthany Joseph's third feature, after Ohm Shanti Oshana and Oru Muthassi Gadha, released on Prime Video at midnight today. This seemingly feel-good film, also seemingly made in limited spaces and with a shoestring budget, tackles a concept and issue never tested before in Malayalam cinema  circles. In Sara'S, we follow the life of Sara Vincent (Anna Ben), a young, bubbly, yet unapologetic filmmaker who struggles to make it big in the industry. She continuously assists male directors and is in the scripting works of her dream film. Sara has decided, from her school days, that she would not bear any kids. This is when she meets Jeevan (Sunny Wayne); her relationship with him subsequently brings her ideology and decision into a confrontation with the established norms of society, family and child-rearing.  Anna Ben in Sara'S The best aspect in which Sara'S has excelled, without doubt, is its hard-hitting taut script. Debutant Akshay Hareesh deserves praise for managin

Boyhood - a saga of picturesque metamorphosis

Boyhood demonstrates the different phases of a boy's life, from 6 to 18; it turns into a tale of a metamorphosis from boyhood to manhood.



 The film begins from 6-year old Mason Evans Jr.( Ellar Coltrane) and travels through 12 years of the boy and his sister, Samantha Evans's (Lorelei Linklater) life. Patricia Arquette plays Mason's mother, Olivia Evans, who moves in and out of marital relationships, while Ethan Hawke plays the siblings' divorced  father. Every precious moments of a boy's life appear- birthday parties, graduation parties, family get-togethers, road trips, family meals, launch of a Harry potter book and other milestones.  The film doesn't point out that it is jumping to the next age. Such a transition is marked by the change in physical appearance in Mason and Samantha. Nevertheless, the physical, mental and psychological metamorphose of the siblings is the whole "coming-of-age" story about.

A still from the movie. Pictured: Ethan Hawke, Ellar Coltrane and Lorelei Linklater


 Undoubtedly, Boyhood is Richard Linklater's best directorial venture, portraying, the twists and turns, the ups and downs, and the hues and colors of childhood and it's journey to manhood. The patience and hard work endured for making this film is clearly evident in this piece of art. And it is not of this factor that I am positively reviewing it; but such is the glamor and complex nature of the film that makes it quite a watchable treat. Like and unlike Richard Linklater's previous film, Waking Life, Boyhood is a complex study of human nature and also American lifestyle.
 Patricia Arquette performs a role which reminds us of the mother-who-cares and the wife-who-neglects. She is that mother who looks to bring back her broken family and to nurture her children in a decent manner, but horribly fails in the attempt to do so.
  As said before, the whole movie is about the change of the siblings, physically, mentally and psychologically, and thus it evolves into a colorful tale perfectly crafted by Linklater. Never will any critic or audience see a movie again like Boyhood ; it will take years to do so, however. Every aspect of the film is well orchestrated by Linklater, and powered by Arquette's and Hawke's sweet and emotional performances; and hence Boyhood proves to be the best movie of the coming-of-age genre.
  A picturesque compilation of the different ages of childhood,and adolescence, Linklater's Boyhood is delightful movie to watch and an outlook to ponder upon.
Run time: 165 mins

MPAA Rating: R (for language including sexual references,and for teen drug and alcohol use)

Reviewer© rating: 5 stars 

Reviewer-The Blog©


















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