Richard Linklater's "Boyhood" tells the story of a boy, Mason, and as much as the title articulates our applying his story somewhat to all boys, the "chapel" within advises caution. Since Mason's biological father is a major influence on the boy, it's not quite fair to slough off his inspiration -- Lennon, Paul, George and Ringo -- as "divinities" to seek greatness from, but it's clear what has clearly replaced the trio of God, Christ and church in this film is the university, and the supreme research psychologists who've worked there to incur relevant understandings of what makes human beings tick.
Behavioralism is the first psychological theory we hear discussed, and it's all but rejected in the film ... not only because it's mouthpiece turns out an alcoholic, wife-beating, dictatorial brute, but because it's clearly linked to a cynical take on human beings and ultimately corrupt societal applications -- l...