Richard Linklater: A Truly American Filmmaker

Richard Linklater is for sure one of the most unique voices in American movies today. He makes films that put real human experiences first, rather than just trying to wow you with big-budget effects like most Hollywood flicks. For more than 30 years, this Texas-based director has been telling stories in his own special way, playing with time and digging into the little things that make up everyday life.

Born in Houston in 1960, Linklater came onto the scene in the early '90s with Slacker, a movie that just kind of wandered through Austin's quirky, artistic crowd. The film didn't really have a plot. It just jumped from one character to another. It showed right away that he wasn't interested in doing things the way everyone else did. This first film set the tone for his whole career: regular people thinking about deep stuff, finding the beauty in normal events, and wondering how we all experience time.

He really hit it big with Dazed and Confused in 1993. It was a look back at the last day of school in 1976. Not only did the movie kick-start a bunch of acting careers, but it also nailed that feeling of being young and not really knowing what you're doing. Linklater made it his style to not force drama or try to teach any lessons with his characters. He trusted the audience to figure things out from just watching them act naturally.

The Before series of films – Before Sunrise (1995), Before Sunset (2004), and Before Midnight (2013) – is probably what he's best known for. He shot these movies over 18 years. Linklater, along with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, told the story of two people as they fell in love. These movies are mostly just people talking. They prove that a simple walk and talk can be really powerful.

But Boyhood (2014) was his biggest gamble. He filmed it a little bit at a time over 12 years, using the same actors. Watching the main actor, Ellar Coltrane, actually grow up on screen was something totally new. The movie was a hit with critics and showed that Linklater was willing to forget about normal ways of making movies if it meant making his vision a reality. He was really patient. He shot for a few days each year and had faith that the whole thing would come together. It's a good example of how he makes movies.

Linklater can do more than just small, personal stories. He turned a Philip K. Dick book into a movie (A Scanner Darkly). He's made some comedies that everyone loves (School of Rock). Plus, he even made a sequel to one of the great film series (Before Midnight). His use of rotoscope animation in Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly is another sign of how adventurous he is.

All of Linklater's movies have one thing in common: they're human. He finds beauty in imperfections and depth in the ordinary. His characters don't always get a neat ending. They just keep living their complicated, good lives after the movie is over. To really get his films, you have to watch them in a different way. You have to watch the way you see the real world.

In a movie business that's all about big franchises and doing what's expected, Richard Linklater sticks to making movies that feel like real life. You can see his style in a lot of young filmmakers today. They care more about being real than being flashy, letting conversations tell the story, and taking their time instead of rushing things. Linklater has proved that American movies can be fun, smart, and not afraid to try something new.