Mike Mills' 20th Century Women is a beautiful ensemble story encapsulating the ups and downs of life itself. A film that never gets too wrapped up in plotting or its coming-of-age narrative, Mike Mill's latest effort instead focuses on delivering strong characterizations from top-to-bottom of its ensemble cast, documenting the trials and tribulations of a makeshift family unit living in Santa Barbara, California in 1979. Centered around Dorothea Fields, a determined single mother in her mid-50s who is raising her adolscent son, Jamie, absent of his father, 20th Century Women is centered in a time of cultural change and youthful rebellion, a time which puts additional strain on Dorothea as she fears she can't provide her son with all the tools necessary to thrive in an ever-evolving world. Enlisting two younger women in Abbie, a free-spirited artist who herself is going through some trying times, and Julie, a provocative teenage girl who Jamie himself is infatuated with, Dorothea is determined to make sure her son gains the necessary perspectives to excel in life, ulimately learning that Jaime's upbringing must be scoped by a combination of forces she can and cannot control. 20th Century Women plays like a dysfunctional family story, and I mean that in the best possible way, being a very honest film in which every character is trying to find themselves, sifting through the various complications of life. The film never pretends that any of these characters have all the answers, each of them routinely stumbles and falls, yet it's through the relationships they share with each other which ultimately drives them all forward during a time of change and uncertainty. Annette Bening's lead performance as Dorothea truly stands out, with Bening doing an exquisite job at balancing this complex character, a very strong woman whose always done things her way, yet has recently had underlying insecurities come tot he surface, fearing that she herself may not be enough for her son when it comes to teaching him how to be a proper adult and man. All the characterizations throughout Mike Mill's latest film are so well defined, organic, and alive, each aided by Mike Mill's unique structure and style, which provides a truly vibrant, lived-experience, giving this character ensemble a kinetic energy from start to finish. Forgiveness and compassion feel like major aspects of 20th Century Women, with the film being not only a coming of age story or period piece but even more so a story about the importance of accepting people for who they are, understanding that all of us have flaws. These characters, all with their own personal shortcomings and struggles are in the middle of a maternal bond with Annette Bening's Dorothea, but they all, including her son, provide learnings too, an honest and important aspect of the human condition that is captured beautifully from Mike Mill's 20th Century Women.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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