In what has to be a direct response to our shameless pleading and begging—or maybe just a no-brainer on the part of the programmers—Sundance has made a last-minute addition to this year’s festival lineup: Richard Linklater’s dozen-years-in-the-making family drama, Boyhood. Linklater began filming Boyhood back in 2002, reconvening with his cast (including Patricia Arquette and Linklater regular Ethan Hawke) every year since to shoot more scenes. One of his actors, Ellar Coltrane, was only a child when production began; in essence, Boyhood—which Linklater wrapped last year—will function as a year-by-year record of his growth into adulthood. At least on paper, it sounds like one of the most ambitious American dramas in recent memory.
Sundance begins this Thursday and runs through Jan. 26. The A.V. Club will be there for the first half of the festival, posting dispatches through next Wednesday—including our thoughts on Boyhood, which premieres on Sunday, Jan. 19. Is it January 19 yet?