Richard Linklater
1. Early Work/Inspiration
A product of American Sub-urban culture, Richard Linklater is a complete impression
of the background he grew up in. He grew up in a middle class Austin suburbs, and
this can be seen in his early work which he started once he got into San Houstan
State University. After dropping out and working on a oil rig, he realised his love
for cinema and wanted to be a filmmaker, used his savings and experimented while
making short films. His first feature "It's Impossible to learn how to plow by
reading books", and then proceeded it with his early notable features "Slacker" and
"Dazed and confused" both based on the themes of aimlessness and the confusion that
exists when we are young. This becomes a common theme as his filmography progresses
2. Big break/Notable work/Award and recognition
He is most known for his Before Trilogy, School of Rock and his magnum opus
Boyhood. Where School of Rock is carried by Jack Black's infectious personality and
his and Linklater's love of rock while oozing out of the core ethos of rock and
roll brought to screen by a bunch of fanatastic child actors and tight script. The
Before Triliogy finds Linklater, trying to capture a fleeting moment, over the
course of 1* years, with Before Sunrise released in 1995, then Before Sunset in
2004 and the final one Before Midnight in 2013, exploring the theme of how love
evolves and how love at first sight can transform into perennial longing and
finally into a burden with a tender core. Linklater's commitment to the natural
progression of time and how it changes us, can be seen beautifully in his feature
Boyhood, which was directed over 12 years following the same cast of actors across
this time and shows how the American middle class boy to man journey is taking
place in real time, this was his most critically acclaimed. His movies are rarely
plot driven but rather take place in a single day focusing more on the deeply
emotional interactions his characters go through whether that be the promise at the
end of Before Sunrise or the chillax attitude of dazed and confused
3. Beyond the screen/Cool fact
4. Legacy/Impact
