I watched this, my first James Gray movie (writer, director), in the sneak preview. By the German titles, and also by looking up the English title, I didn't expect a coming of age story. I only realized it by almost half of the movie - at which point I permanently expected a time jump into adult years - probably caused by the several references about the future of Paul Graff. These circumstances had the effect that I never could set up my audience expectation properly. Maybe the aversion was deliberate - and it's understandable - but there were too many foreshadowing elements for my taste to do this; the disappointment effect of these missing scenes were stronger than the message intended.
Most moviegoers have difficulties with the thin plots and meandering in coming-of-age stories. As a Linklater fan, I'm always curious if there is some competition for him. And the emotions in the scenes are very strong with great performances by Banks Repeta, Jeremy Strong, Anthony Hopkins and Jaylin Webb. For some, there will be heavy scenes that bring you back to your childhood. The period setting is also immersive - but not heavily focused on it, with occasional references that add only little to the story - but still the production design and the visuals/cinematography are a strength of the movie and helps travelling back in time.

All in all, the movie has strong emotional moments and performances but one somehow expects more from the plot.