20th Century Women (2016)

Annete Benning acting is superb as usual, but this drama about California life in the 80 goes on too long. The way these characters live is insight on how California is today. Lost. There is some learning here, but it could have been done in half the time.

Annette Bening got snubbed for an Oscar nod for Mike Mills's "20th Century Women", playing a divorced mom running a boarding house in 1979 Santa Barbara. Much of the movie features the characters (the mom, her son, his friend, and some tenants) discussing their past, but also focuses on the women's liberation movement. Unlike many movies set in the era, there's no emphasis on the clothes or music of the era. This one is all about the characters' relationships. And rarely have we heard female sexuality discussed this openly in a movie from the US.Mike Mills previously directed "Beginners", about an elderly man who comes out as gay to his son. I've liked both his movies so far. Probably the most interesting scene is at the end when the characters discuss their future. It's also good that, despite the spate of terrible things that happened in 2016, there were a number of female-driven movies (20th Century Women, The Boss, Ghostbusters, Bad Moms). I recommend it, and I hope to see more movies like it.

The greatest thing about "20th Century Women" is the cinematography. The backstories, glimpses of the future, and story progression is sometimes told in a series of poignant short vignettes graced by self- narration from the individual characters of the film. This technique seemingly allows you to peer through the changes in characters over long periods of time without being burdened by the minor details. It is a beautiful film that is well executed. "20th Century Women" is a 2016 film that offers a commentary on the baby boomers who grew up in the 1970s in Southern California, some of whom would go on to be responsible for the largest creation of wealth in history.The year at the opening of the film is 1979. The setting is Santa Barbara, California, perhaps one of the most picturesque beach towns on the west coast. Jamie is a 15 year old teenager who grows up in this liberal city; however, he is raised by a divorced single-mother who goes by the dated name of Dorothea. As Jamie narrates to the audience, Dorothea was older than most women when she had Jamie. She was from the Depression era. As a "20th Century" woman, Dorothea insisted that Jamie was raised by the "community". One member of this community is a girl named Abbie. Dorothea runs a boarding house where the free-spirited Abbie is a tenant. Abbie is an aspiring photographer who has a strained relationship with her own mother for turning her into a "DES daughter". DES was a fertility drug that many women used that was later discovered to cause cancer. Abbie learns that despite surviving the cancer that her mother's use of fertility drugs gave her, she will never be able to have children. As this drama progresses, Abbie takes refuge in Dorothea and Jamie. She also helps Jamie navigate his first teenage crush who happens to be his best friend, Julie. Julie also chooses to take on the role of being a part of the community who raises Jamie. When Jamie learns that his mother went to Julie and Abbie for advice on how to raise him, he begins a rebellious streak. Like so many other teenagers of his era, he runs away from home to attend a rock concert. Abbie and Jamie form a brother-sister like relationship. But Julie and Jamie never end up together romantically. This forms one of the major conflicts in the story. Dorothea has her own relationship problems. At its core, Dorothea represents women who pursue the "safe choice" in relationships instead of pursuing the people they are attracted to. Julie, on the other hand, pursues only the men she is attracted to and feels that a physical attraction is different from an emotional attraction. Jamie eventually confides in Julie that he loves her. But Julie says she cares too much about him as a friend to have sex. Julie is a witness to the women's liberation movement. She even participates. During one scene, she tells the story of her first sexual encounter using "spit" as a lubricant during a deeply awkward and inappropriate dinner conversation with Jamie and Dorothea. Julie and Jamie eventually grow apart. But Dorothea eventually benefits from the same movement and finds the courage to approach William, the man she is attracted to. At the beginning of the film, he is promiscuous and narrates aloud, "Women didn't have to look one way or another or be a certain way. I think that I just, I want to win them over so that I won't be lonely. But once I have them, I don't really know what to do with them". Dorothea changes that. The story of "20th Century Women" culminates with Dorothea finally accepting the generational gap between her and her son. She can never truly connect with Jamie the way she wants to. The community can no longer raise people's children. But that doesn't mean Jamie and Dorothea don't have a good relationship. The film could have been better if it weren't for the abrupt ending. After building the relationships of the characters so well, the film ends with the main characters describing the rest of their own lives using voice-overs. To a 21st century baby, how does one explain the charisma of a "20th Century Woman" like Dorothea? Future women will be more like Julie and will benefit from the sexual liberation movement that the baby boomers advanced. In one touching scene, Julie confidently discusses her own sexuality to Jamie by explaining her attraction to men, "Their bodies…cause you don't exactly know what they are going to look like or smell or feel like until you do it. But yeah, half the time I regret it" she says candidly. "Then why do you it?" Jamie inquires. "Because half the time I don't regret it,".

An ode to women and the chaos they inspire in the world of a fatherless teenage boy."20th Century Women" has a laid back vibe and lots of period detail that will probably appeal to the audience members who were themselves coming of age in the period -- late 70s and early 80s -- in which the movie is set. It follows three principal female characters and charts the influence they have on our teenage protagonist. Annette Bening is the freewheeling mom, doing the best she can without someone to provide a positive male influence for her son. Greta Gerwig is the boarder who teaches him about girls and music. And Elle Fanning is his female friend who refuses to be his girlfriend. The conclusion he and the movie comes to seems to be that women are necessary but confusing. I found myself irritated by all of them. They spend all of their time trying to teach him what and how to think without ever letting him develop an identity of his own.The film is entertaining enough, but there is something lacking, and I'm not surprised that it wasn't one of the stand out movies of the year. I love Bening and would watch her in anything, and she does as much as she probably can with her character, but one can't help but wonder how much better a performance she could have given with better writing and directing at her back.Grade: B