Boyhood's refreshingly unsentimental take on motherhood

"I just thought there would be more"

Richard Linklater's new movie Boyhood is, as its title suggests, a movie about a boy. But the movie's emotional center of gravity lies not in his story, but in that of his mother's.

Olivia, played by Patricia Arquette, is a single-mother who struggles to raise her two kids, the eponymous Mason and his older sister Samantha. She loves her children, but the film does not define her only by her love. No, Olivia's story is clearly presented as one of gains and losses, ecstasy and despair. Her affection for her children and the constant, often thankless, sacrifices she must make for them exist side-by-side, neither having more of a hold on how she viewed her life or on how we, the audience, are encouraged to view her.

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Elissa Strauss

Elissa Strauss writes about the intersection of gender and culture for TheWeek.com. She also writes regularly for Elle.com and the Jewish Daily Forward, where she is a weekly columnist.