20th Century Women works as a diptych to Beginners, which won Christopher Plummer an Oscar for his portrayal of a 75-year-old widower and father living his last years as a gay man. It was taken from Mills’s own family history and, after a quick glance at Wikipedia, one can see how Annette Bening’s character Dorothea is based on Mills’s mother. (Were one to lay odds, one could also feel confident that she’ll come away next year with her fifth Oscar nomination, and maybe her first win.)
She is a free-thinking and independent woman, devoted to raising her son Jamie (Lucas Jade Zumann) as a moral individual, but strangely determined not to take action against her unhappiness. (In this version, the dad is out of the picture entirely, only calling on birthdays.) Dorothea takes in boarders in her enormous southern California house, which is under continuous renovation.
20th Century Women is an American comedy-drama film directed and written by Mike Mills. The film stars Annette Bening, Elle Fanning, Greta Gerwig, Lucas Jade Zumann and Billy Crudup. The film had its world premiere at the New York Film Festival as the Centerpiece on October 8, 2016. The film is scheduled to be released on December 25, 2016, by A24.
Principal photography on the film began on September 8, 2015 in Southern California. During production on the film, Elle Fanning and Annette Bening were spotted on set. Production concluded on October 27, 2015.
20th Century Women (2016)
Directed by: Mike Mills
Starring: Elle Fanning, Alia Shawkat, Laura Wiggins, Annette Bening, Greta Gerwig, Billy Crudup, John Billingsley
Screenplay by: Mike Mills
Production Design by: Chris Jones
Cinematography by: Sean Porter
Film Editing by: Leslie Jones
Costume Design by: Jennifer Johnson
Set Decoration by: Aimee Athnos, Neil Wyzanowski
Music by: Roger Neill
MPAA Rating: R for sexual material, language, some nudity and brief drug use.
Studio: A24 Films
Release Date: December 30, 2016
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