“We’re a generation of men raised by women,” sneered Fight Club’s Tyler Durden. To which Mike Mills would probably reply, “I know! Awesome, right?”
Mills’ new movie is called 20th Century Women, and it’s just as much a celebration of female wisdom, power, and complexity as the title suggests. It’s set in 1979 Santa Barbara, and told mostly from the perspective of 15-year-old Jamie (Lucas Jade Zumann), who’s being raised by his middle-aged single mom, Dorothea. If that setup makes you worry for a moment that this is another story about women from a male perspective, you’re not alone.
But thanks to a ferocious, textured performance from Annette Bening as Dorothea, and Mills’ digressive, empathetic script, the movie works. Dorothea isn’t the only lady in Jamie’s life: There’s also Abbie (Greta Gerwig), a rebellious photographer who rents a room in Dorothea and Jamie’s big ramshackle house, and Julie (Elle Fanning), a 19-year-old neighbor who sneaks over regularly to lie next to Jamie in bed and chat, tormenting his not-so-nascent hormones.