Sarah: This film conveys an amazing sense of reality as you watch a stranger transform and grow before your eyes. For me, there was also an uncanny feeling of recognition, because Mason’s childhood is almost exactly in sync with my own. There are many familiar cultural allusions as he plays a succession of video games (on Game Boy, Wii and Xbox) and stands in line for the latest Harry Potter volume. Changing hairstyles, clothes, catchphrases and music chart the passage of time.
Tom: This is not a typical movie, but an organic production that evolved through the collaboration of the actors playing the main characters. For that reason, even though it lacks a typical story arc, the central foursome displays a degree of real integrity and continuity that is often missing in today’s largely formulaic features.
Sarah: It’s really cool that the script was loosely based on Ellar Coltrane’s own coming-of-age experiences, highlighting the bittersweet journey of maturation.
Tom: Ethan Hawke also drew from his own life story as a divorced father, and his portrayal of the often-absent “fun dad” who tries to pack life lessons into each visit feels authentic in its earnestness.
Sarah: The entire production rings true as we see it all, from the mundane routines of everyday life to milestones and “first times.” Samantha and Mason deal with many changes as they progress from innocence to awareness, experiencing happiness, fear, triumph and, ultimately, the uncertainty that comes from confronting the complexities of life.
Tom: Parents, particularly those who have been through divorce and mix-and-match family structures, may find parts of this film difficult to view. We watch through the children’s eyes as new significant others appear and disappear from each of their parents’ lives, and hence their own. A particularly poignant exchange occurs between Mason and his father in the front seat of a new minivan. We learn that the vehicle was purchased as an accommodation for a new wife and baby boy, both of whom were introduced to us in the same scene. When Mason hears that his father traded in his beloved GTO for the minivan, he expresses disbelief, asserting that his father had promised that Mason would inherit the car on turning sixteen. Throughout, there is a clear subtext: Mason’s sense of personal displacement and sudden anxiety over a possible loss of legacy.
Sarah: I was struck by the scenes in which Mason contemplates his life and its meaning. He reflects on the obsession with social media, and how technology leaves us in an “in-between state,” our lives devoid of actual interaction.
Tom: Speaking of interaction, there is truthful irony in the fact that Mason’s father is extremely engaged and “present” with his children, but only for short periods. Mother Olivia, the primary caregiver, is physically there but preoccupied with daily burdens. Both parents struggle to advance careers, make ends meet and engage in serial relationships. Through it all, however, they display deep and genuine concern for their children. They might inadvertently lead their children into harm’s way, but will also find a way to pluck them out again.
Sarah: The film affected me most in its depiction of the transition from childhood to adulthood. Adults see “teenager attitude” while teenagers are overwhelmed with lectures about the importance of taking responsibility for their lives and futures. I know that many individuals my age feel like they are drifting in limbo. Like Mason, they are pressured to be successful, responsible and “present,” but deep inside they are reluctant to leave the haven of childhood for a future full of questions. The film delves into this struggle, as Mason seems lost and insecure at key moments, reminding us that we are not alone.
Tom: As Mason leaves his family to start a new life in college, are these fears and doubts resolved?
Sarah: Mason seems to have found a special peace within himself and contentment with his identity. He muses philosophically that life is spontaneous and mystifying, and even if you are terrified of the next step (which for many of us is college), you must appreciate the now and accept life as it comes. In his words, you do not seize the moment; the moment seizes you.
Tom: Perhaps Mason’s father put it well when he confessed, “We are all just winging it.”
