Richard Linklater filmed Boyhood over 12 years.
Production began in 2002 and continued through 2013, with the film assembled from footage gathered across the project’s long production period. Boyhood follows Mason Evans Jr. from age six to eighteen, allowing the same actor, Ellar Coltrane, to visibly grow up on screen rather than being replaced by performers of different ages.
Linklater and the cast typically reunited for only a few days of filming each year. The director did not write the entire screenplay in advance: he developed later sections after reviewing earlier footage and incorporating the performers’ real physical changes and life experiences. This unusual method made the passage of time central to both the production and the story.
The film premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and earned widespread acclaim. It received six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director; Patricia Arquette won Best Supporting Actress. The 12-year figure refers to the filming period, not the fictional length of Mason’s entire life.