20th Century Women

About 20th Century Women

20th Century Women is a 2016 period drama film set in 1979 Southern California, directed by Mike Mills and produced by Megan Ellison. The narrative focuses on Dorothea Fields (Annette Bening), a determined single mother in her mid-50s who is raising her adolescent son, Jamie (Lucas Jade Zumann), at a moment brimming with cultural change and rebellion.

Making / Production

The film was a passion project for director Mike Mills who wanted to create a love letter to the women who raised him. Shot in Southern California, the delicate period details of the 70s were meticulously recreated to immerse the viewers in the time and place. It was a production of Annapurna Pictures and released by A24.

Actors

• Annette Bening as Dorothea Fields: Bening plays a free-spirited single mother and the matriarch of the household. Her performance was lauded by many for its depth and complexity.
• Lucas Jade Zumann as Jamie Fields: Zumann portrays a makeup-obsessed teenager with candor and sensitivity, effectively capturing the confusion and longing of adolescence.
• Elle Fanning as Julie: Fanning's portrayal of Julie, Jamie's complicated love interest, exudes a certain melancholy, as she struggles with her own complex feelings and life choices.
• Greta Gerwig as Abbie: Gerwig plays Abbie, a photographer and renter in Dorothea's house. Her performance injects the film with humor, wit, and a streak of defiant feminism.

Trivia / Interesting Facts

• The film is partly autobiographical, based on director Mike Mills' own upbringing.
• Dorothea's character is based on Mills' own mother, and Abbie's character on his sister.
• 20th Century Women received critical acclaim upon its premiere at the New York Film Festival.

Awards

Apart from being shortlisted in various award functions, the film notably received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Annette Bening's performance was widely recognized, and she got nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama.

Quotes

• "I will try to explain to you what I think it meant, what I felt, anyway."
• "I am not in love with you. You will find your person, who you put into the category of 'people worth sticking around for.'"
• "Wondering if you're happy, it's a great shortcut to being depressed."

Music, Soundtrack

• The film's score was composed by Roger Neill, creating a fitting soundscape for the 1970s setting.
• Music from the era, including songs by Talking Heads, Lou Reed, and Black Flag, punctuates key moments in the film, setting a perfect tone for each scene.