With good movies, it can be unclear how much of the film is affected by the lives of the actors, the struggles that go un-filmed. Sometimes directors incorporate it into the final cut, channeling the true emotion of the person to add legitimacy to the character. Richard Linklater seems to be counting on such bleed-through in his ambitious film “Boyhood.” By shooting over the course of 12 years, the characters grow as the actors do, and the result is a truly vivid and unique experience I will not forget anytime soon.

Coming of age stories tend to focus on singular, important periods in the life of the characters. With “Boyhood,” the importance is on the connections, the way everything fits together. Relationships visibly brew, bloom, then wane over the course of years, not days, and life goes on amongst the wreckage.

The movie closely follows Mason (Ellar Coltrane in a stunning performance), but most of the cast realistically changes alongside him. Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke play his parents, who separate early on in the film, and daughter of the director Lorelei Linklater plays his older sister. Each character struggles and conflicts as each searches for their own brand of happiness, others entering and exiting without fanfare, little guest appearances in the tale of their lives.

There is a documentarian feel to how each event unfolds. No embellishment is needed. The simplicity of the story lends an authenticity to the proceedings that had me more riveted to the screen than the most dynamic of space-operas. They might not be saving the world, but their problems never feel small. Alcoholism, divorce, abuse; none of these things are easy to deal with.

Deal with them they do, though. Year by year time passes and people go on living their life. The transitions are seamless, without dates, ages or locations displayed, but I was never lost. The characters look familiar enough that, when there is a change, one notices.

This is a movie with thought and purpose. It is a conversation with itself, changing in tone and direction as time passes, seemingly unimportant events that add together to make a life. Due to the herculean dedication and effort, it will likely remain unique among films. This film is a must-see.