In 2010, Mike Mills directed the twee film Beginners, a tribute to his father who at age 75 came out as gay and lived life to the fullest until his death 5 years later. I really enjoyed Beginners despite the fact that it had a scene where a beautiful girl who barely speaks English roller skates down the hall of a hotel. That kind of stuff makes me roll my eyes.
But Mills has returned with a film that captures all of the warm fuzzies of Beginners with much less of the whimsy. 20th Century Women is a beautiful ode to Mills' mother and to women in general. While not strictly autobiographical, Mills incorporates aspects of his real life, such as the fact that he grew up in California and that his mother passed away of cancer in the late 90s.
While 20th Century Women is short on plot, it's long on atmosphere and characterization. Newcomer Lucas Jade Zumann plays Jamie Fields, a 15 year old boy growing up in Santa Barbara, CA in 1979 with his single mom, Dorothea, who is played by the indomitable Annette Bening. Though the plot hinges on Dorothea's scheme to recruit Jamie's best friend, Julie (Elle Fanning), and Abbie, a punk-y photographer in her mid-20s who rents a room from Dorothea (Greta Gerwig), to help "raise" Jamie properly, the film is less about Jamie and more about the women--especially given backdrop of late-stage second wave feminism influencing everyone's politics and lifestyles.
To me, Abbie and Dorothea are the two most interesting characters, especially when they butt heads. Abbie gives Jamie a copy of Robin Morgan's Sisterhood is Powerful which leads Jamie into getting beaten up for telling a macho friend that he probably didn't get his girlfriend off during sex since he didn't stimulate her clitoris (the whole exchange might be my favorite scene in a movie ever). While Dorothea is for women's rights, she's uncomfortable with the frank discussion of sexuality that has become commonplace among feminists. Another scene where Abbie forces everyone at a dinner party to say "menstruation" out loud hits this point home: Dorothea thinks people don't need to discuss such things while Abbie thinks it's healthier if people are able to talk about bodies and sex.
I liked that Mills didn't turn Dorothea into a saint. She's a strong woman, but not without her insecurities. It was refreshing to feel both adoration for her character for her grit and intelligence and also annoyance at her old fashioned ways.
In addition to the women and Jamie, Billy Crudup plays William, another border of Dorothea's. William adds a gentle masculinity into the mix, doing home repairs for Dorothea and allowing himself to be seduced by Abbie (in a refreshingly realistic sex scene where Abbie asks William to "tell her a story" [i.e. role-play] to get her in the mood).
The overarching feeling of 20th Century Women is one of realistic sweetness. The twee I tend to find annoying is gone and replaced with authenticity. Other reviews have pointed out that although not much happens in the film, it never feels slow or boring. Not unlike Manchester By the Sea, 20th Century Women feels like you're just dropping in and watching people's lives unfurl in real time, with all their flaws and humanity in tact. Though 20th Century Women doesn't beg to be the center of attention, it's well worth the watch.
Grade: A-
