Directing with wolves

It's all about making a spectacle

"Everything about life could be incorporated into this movie," says Linklater.

Michael Apted's Up documentary series has followed its subjects' lives for decades. In the fiction realm, Francois Truffaut explored his character for over 20 years. But Boyhood is unique in condensing so much time in such short increments, and it can be astonishing to see age slowly etch itself on the faces of Coltrane et al.

"Film is a powerful recorder of the reality in front of it," says Linklater, who references early silent films' recording of daily life. "That's what makes it such a magical medium."

Coltrane now finds himself - like Mason leaves off - contemplating his next steps. Having been home schooled by his parents, he's not sure yet about college, but says, "I just crave knowledge."

Though Linklater worried about the "psychic overload" he was potentially putting on Coltrane and his daughter, Coltrane has apparently graduated from the project an open-minded, philosophical young man eager for adventure - even if his path is unclear: "I don't know if I'm an actor, really," he says.

"To me, probably the most satisfying was the evolution of him, becoming more and more of a collaborator," says Linklater.

There aren't plans for a sequel, but Linklater knows better than to predict the future.

"Who knows? "he says. "Life unfolds, obviously. It's endless possibility."