The Real Wonder Women
Finally arriving on Australian shores after what’s felt like an eternity (the film was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at this year’s Oscars), comes the beautifully crafted and deeply wholesome third feature by writer-director Mike Mills (Beginners). 20th Century Women is a wittily scripted, complex character drama that’s five steps above your typical ‘quirky’ family dramedy, thanks to Mills’ tender approach to his characters and career-topping work from his winning ensemble cast. It has a distinct freshness to it that avoids sending it down the road of ‘quirk’ for the sake of ‘quirk’ that we see all too often in films of this ilk. The result is a film that deftly explores the happiness and the sadness that comes with our everlasting search for identity.
Set in Santa Barbara, 1979, we follow the story of Dorothea (Annette Bening, in a towering, career-best role) a 55-year old single mother struggling to raise her 16-year old son Jamie (Lucas Jade Zumann, also excellent). Recently divorced, she’s now worried that as a result of his father no longer being around, Jamie won’t grow up to be a real man without any male guidance, and she feels that she won’t be able to give him the support she believes he needs. After failing to get him to bond with William (Billy Crudup), one of her tenants, she seeks the help of the surrounding women in his life, his best friend Julie (Elle Fanning, continuing her complete domination of cinema in 2017) and Abbie (the eminently watchable Greta Gerwig), in order to guide him into becoming a man. Jamie then enters a world of punk music, feminist enlightenment and the cultural influence, all the while confronting the complex emotions that come with developing into an adult.
20th Century Women has less of a conventional narrative structure and is more a collection of episodes about the lives of these characters. Narration can too often be a lazy storytelling device, but Mills uses it effectively here, adding an air of melancholy to the film. The looser structure allows the film to avoid falling into contrivance and constantly keeps us engaged. Mills presents us with a group of characters that feel real (imagine that!) and puts all of their complexities and inner workings on display, simply allowing us to sit back, observe and engage with them rather than follow a more fleshed out story. Mills’ has a certain poignancy in his writing that makes these simple moments absolutely thrilling, without having to litter the film with ‘big things happening’. It’s reminiscent of Linklater’s masterstroke, Boyhood, which also focused on the smaller moments to great effect instead of relying on eventful moments. I’ve never met these characters, and yet I’d happily sit and watch their lives for hours. Like meeting a new friend, it may also take a few viewings to fully soak in all of their quirks and ideas. The film touches on themes of women’s sexuality, feminism, identity, ageism and growing up. Yet despite ambitiously approaching all of these themes, it never once feels unfocused or confused. Its depiction of the search for identity is one of the most realistic and hard-hitting ones I’ve seen in some time. There is a certain comfort and sadness to be found in the fact that Dorothea is essentially as lost as Jamie is. This complex of life itself and whether or not we will ever truly understand ourselves is what gives 20th Century Women it’s big, beating heart.
Also giving the film its pulse is its ridiculously impressive cast. Bening, as I mentioned, is beyond sublime. Capturing Dorothea’s contradictory nature with great humour, she absolutely commands the screen, to the point that you almost miss her whenever she isn’t on it. Mills has autobiographically written the film as a love letter to the women in his life, Dorothea in particular being based off his own mother, and Bening’s portrayal of an emotionally struggling mother strikes a real chord. Her support is equally as impressive, making these people seem so fresh and likable. Zumann in particular is a revelation. Holding his own against the titanic Bening is no easy feat, yet he pulls it off effortlessly. Their mother/son relationship is one for the ages. Fanning is as electric as she has been in the past year, and Gerwig is as usual an absolute delight to watch. The menstruation conversation over the dinner table scene is riotous.
Those wanting their drama a little more eventful will probably come away from 20th Century Women feeling somewhat shortchanged. Admittedly, Mills could have shaved off 20 minutes or so off it, as it does begin to waver slightly in its final quarter. However, it’s rare to come across a film this wholesome and loving towards its characters. The film is a definite grower that you’ll find more rewarding the more you think about it. Thinking about it more than 24 hours later, I’m finding more and more to love about it. That’s the sign of a great film. Truth be told, it’s unlikely you’ll find another group of characters that you’ll want to learn more and more about all year. Gal Gadot may be lassoing her way through cinemas right now, but these are the real Wonder Women.