Boyhood stars Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke as the parents and casts unknown Elar Coltrane as Mason and Linklater's daughter Lorelei as the children.
The film follows Mason from ages 6 to 18 as he grows up in Arlington Texas with his sister and single mom.
As with most coming of age films this film hits all the typical milestones but Linklater really does deliver.
My only comment is that (particularly for Texas) this film was lacking in diversity. Otherwise, this is a great coming-of-age family drama about growing up in the US in the 2000s.
If you are interested in films that were shot over long periods of time you might like to check out Micheal Apted documentary series Up, that began following a group of British children at age 7 (7 Up) and has followed them every 7 years. There are now 8 installments, the most recent was 56 Up.
Also, Micheal Winterbottom directed a film starring Shirley Henderson, called Everyday. Everyday follows an Irish family (mom and 4 kids) while their father is in prison. The film was shot over 5 years using 4 real life siblings as the children.
Boyhood 4/5