By: Khushi Billur, Meghna Chirakala, and Nidhi Deshmukh
Think back to your childhood for a minute. How often was it something where you couldn’t argue with your parents about, they simply demanded, and you delivered or responded and that was that? Or maybe they made the choice for you and you had no say? One of the most important moments in Mason’s “boyhood” is when his first (abusive) stepfather takes him out to get a haircut, giving him a buzz cut against his will. Many of us thought about the time that happened to us, when a parent made us do something we don’t want to do (or prevented us from doing what we want), or made us do something we didn’t want to do; to teach us a lesson. But, as is evident with Mason in Boyhood, it backfired. Instead of teaching him to faithfully listen to his superiors without challenging them, or respect the demands of elders, Mason becomes more and more independent from this point forward. By the end of the movie he has longer hair again, showing that his true form of self-expression/identity is long hair, the same style that his stepfather demanded he cut off because it made him “look like a girl”.
Boyhood. This movie shows the experience of a life cycle in less than three hours. Shot over 12 years, this movie follows the everyday life of a kid named Mason, from the time he is 6 to 18 years of age. It highlights the small precious moments in life, such as, birthday parties, family affairs, trips, first times and more. It develops from him being a cheerful, interested child to a know-it-all teenager; Mason would rather be an introverted person, rather than engage and open himself up. This movie shows us how fast life moves and how the little moments might mean more than anything. The question this movie focuses on is whether freedom of the soul makes one’s life easier or more difficult.
Some major symbols in this movie are the passage of time, photography and Mason’s family members themselves. We will be looking at how these symbols play a big part in how Mason’s childhood transforms into young adulthood, as well as how they tie together the concept of living in the moment and enjoying what one has.
The three main people in Mason’s family are Mason Sr, his father, Samantha, his older sister and Olivia, his mother. Mason Sr. is a free spirit and does not think twice when doing something. Samantha is very independent and put off-ish. Olivia is the one who has spent the most time with Mason and Samantha growing up. I believe that these three people also represent the three stages of life, childhood, teenager/adulthood and old age. Mason Sr. is represented by his love for music and desire to start a band and make it big. He is someone who can talk all day about cars and music and is very street smart. It also becomes evident that he does not have many day-to-day responsibilities. He isn’t someone with a plan or goal in life but would rather live in the moment. This in-and-out nature of the biological father in Mason Jr’s life showcases how quickly our innocence can leave us behind and that it isn’t permanent.
So the second character I want to talk about is Samantha. Her focus throughout the movie is solely on finding her individuality and independence. She gets irritated easily and tries to act cool, like any normal teenager would. She isn’t seen as much after Mason’s childhood but is still a big part of his life even when she leaves for college. Her limited presence has a lasting impact on Mason, however, since it has him questioning his place in this world and what he wants to do when he grows up. It causes him to start forming his own opinions and question whether his parents really know everything.
Olivia is a single mother who is tasked with taking care of two young children by herself. Olivia symbolizes the end of all milestones, end of the journey and that life may not be as exciting as one expects it to be. Her representing the end of life and being so integrated with the family shows how although one’s childhood may leave them behind too quickly, the end of one’s journey will always be a part of them.
The movie does not follow a set plot or outline. It is mostly told through the POV of Mason at different points of his life while growing up. This could symbolize how life moves along and one can never predict the outcome of any action they take, and they must be ready for anything and everything.
Some of the evident themes in this film are emerging adulthood, relationships, change and economic hardships. All these minor themes play into the major theme of learning how to live through experiences and events that occur in one’s life. Going back to the question we decided to focus on, whether freedom of the soul makes one’s life easier or not, this cannot truly never be fully answered. This is shown when Mason Sr, having complete freedom, struggles to find a job or see his children as often, but enjoys the precious moments in his life. Olivia, who feels so trapped, has to take care of two small children by herself, but feels at peace with them. And ultimately Mason Jr, who as he gets older is still learning and figuring out who he wants to be.
Finding your passion or the “thing” you enjoy or good at can be difficult and stressful for a lot of people even in movies, for example Mason. Sometimes when you are bored you just need to try new activities that can become what you enjoy doing.
Which is where an app like Spotivity can help. Spotivity helps you find activities that are close to you and ones that you will enjoy participating in. You might run into an activity that you enjoy in the app forum or with the help of your “personal genie.” Not only that, it lets you talk to people all over the country, you can ask them questions you have about sports, arts, or anything that you are curious about. Overall Spotivity creates a community where you can find activities and talk to other people about anything. So there is no need to stress about finding the “thing” for you, just “be present, it is the only moment that matters.”
About Spotivity
Be #neverbored again by using the spotivity app and find activities that fit your needs. We help you find programing that can lead to your passion. Whether that is an art program to practice graffiti, a sports program to engage in competition, an education support class to improve your grades, or just finding someone to talk to – spotivity has your back. Backed by research and continually informed by users, spotivity is the tool to help you unlock your world and expand the list of options you can take advantage of.
