A 2016 A24 production written and directed by Mike Mills, 20th Century Women shows us how three women can teach a boy to be a man.
Santa Barbara, California in 1979, Dorothea Fields appoints two young women to help her adolescent son grow up in an era of cultural divergence. This quirky coming of age is atypical, and thus attractive because of its structure, complicated characters, and unique visual/audio techniques.
We begin at a pivotal point in all five of the characters' lives, when they all live together in Dorothea Fields' boarding house. However, writer and director Mike Mills does not hesitate to tell the whole story of each of their lives through the voice-over of other characters. Jam packed with a string of life-as-we-know-it questions, each individual shares with each other how they see their world. Whether it's the raging punk scenes, Julie's stories about her sex life, or Abbie's next photography project, 20th Century Women is both gentle and untamed.
Breaking it down:
1. Visual Techniques
2. Story Telling Structure
3. Musical Themes and Devices
4. Other Notable Items
VISUAL TECHNIQUES
One shot I noticed periodically, was a slow pull-out and push-in most likely on a dolly. This means the subject stays still and the camera moves slowly towards or away from him/her. At first I thought it was a little redundant, but later realized how necessary it was. Because this film contains a great deal of self reflection, these shots were used as windows into the character's thoughts, desires, and motives. Most of these unique push-ins were of the mother, Dorothea Fields, having a smoke, taking a bath, or waiting for her son Jamie to come home late. In these solo moments of contemplation, we never really know what she's thinking, but Mills uses these slow shots of silence to advance her action into the next scene. I found this to create a rhythm that juxtaposes fast-paced dialogue-heavy scenes, with solemn introspective pauses. These intimate breaths, although breaks from other scenes, also create a level of suspense leading into the next shot. What has this time, in this space, done for the character that will affect their next move?
In addition to these frequent dolly-shots, Mills silently increases the speed of certain scenes, which emulate the changing of time as emotional commentary about life's unyielding passing. For instance Dorothea's son, Jamie, decides to go to a punk show in LA one night with some less-than savory teens. The journey to the concert in their car is sped up and blurred with a rainbow haze, something out of a dream. Then while at the concert, we follow Jamie thrashing in the pit to a speed inhumanly possible. This tempo technique, combined with our slow push-in of Dorothea sitting at home in bed with their cat, parallels the pace at which Jamie is distancing himself from his mother. Dorothea reveals later in a scene with Abbie that she fears now "[she] will never see him out in the world as a person" as Abbie does. Mills poses time as fleeting, which instills a sense of urgency for Dorothea to do something about her relationship with her son.
STORY TELLING STRUCTURE
Mike Mills devises a non linear plan to expose the intricate lives of his characters, through voice over and historical references, all in order to reveal how each character learns about the past of the other to propel their understanding of the present.
From the start of the film, voice over is used to introduce Dorothea Fields in the perspective of her teenage son Jamie. He tells the audience what he knows about who she was, her divorce, her obsessive morning routine to document the stocks, and most importantly what she wears: "she wears Birkenstocks because she's contemporary."
Not only do these voice overs introduce a character, but they also introduce the narrator's relationship with this character. We understand what Jamie knows about his mother's past is a product of what she tells him, however this particular voice over is very factual. Jamie seems to know little about how she actually feels about the way her life turned out, and constantly asks her if she's sad or happy. Each of these questions are dissolved by an answer like: "you don't ask a woman a question like that." These introductions are sprinkled throughout the film beginning with a name card and reference year, each character introduced by another explaining how they got to where they are. Adding the year humanizes the character as an individual placed in time, rather than a character-type in any domain. This is one of the many ways Mills predetermines identity and personality as a response to time.
Another tool in forgoing the cultural impact of a decade on the individual, is through the numerous historical references planted in the film. Mills includes stock footage and photos, usually a technique associated with documentary work. However, this creative choice intertwines the world of the film with the real world in a way that connects the characters to consequences of their time. Accounts of Dorothea experiencing the depression, at the same age Jamie "worships" punk overlords, is just one example of how Mills intends to show the struggles facing each decade and how these affect our present relationships between generations.
MUSICAL THEMES AND DEVICES
Music choice is a huge interest to me. You can take the same scene and add two contrasting musical compositions and relay completely different messages. I admire how 20th Century Women treats jazz, punk, classic rock, and blues as the foundation for a scene's unique momentum, and decline.
In addition to music controlling the energy of a scene, music as a concept of cultural change, is also an independent theme in the film. One specific musical movement covered in the film is Punk, and according to my research on the genre of the talking heads, post-punk new wave is included as well. Jamie stands up to a neighborhood Black Flag hot shot while wearing a Talking Heads T-shirt. As a consequence, he gets a punch in the face and a new nickname: "Art Fag."
Jamie's mother Dorothea has Abbie explain to her that the genre of music her son participates in was "divisive." Unannounced to Dorothea, a 50 something year old "almost war pilot," the hardcore band Black Flag was not exactly an ally of the Talking Heads and their followers. Mills continues to call attention to the cultural differences between Dorothea and her son Jamie in order to better explain what challenges face these two generations from understanding one another. This in conjuction with the insights from the two girls, Abbie and Julie along with the house handyman William, help Dorothea realize what she needs to do to salavage her relationship with her son.
OTHER NOTABLE ITEMS
- Dorothea calls her son 'Kid' more than she calls him by his name, Jamie.
- Feminist themes heavily sparkle the film with stuff we just don't talk about, like menstruation and how to "properly make a women orgasm." (which was hilarious and I very much appreciated.) Abbie, the twenty-something photographer, even gives Jamie novels on Feminist theory. A fifteen year old boy who reads books about child birth and what sex is like for women...That alone is entertaining.
IN CONCLUSION...
20th Century Women is an empowering film about complex characters at different stages of their lives, who learn about themselves by learning about each other. I respect the level of intimacy reached by each conversation between characters, and the ambitious filmmaking techniques that writer & director Mike Mills implements in order to emphasize character growth.
There is so much more from the film I'd love to talk about, but I'll leave it be. If you haven't seen the film, hopefully this lil' essay will inspire you go on and watch the dang thing. Good news: it is currently on Netflix! I don't really believe in ratings, because the reason you like a film is subjective, but if I were to rate it I would give it a 9/10. I cried I laughed and for God's sake I wrote a few hundred words about it!
If any of this resonated with you or you want to continue the conversation feel free to comment, email, or reach out to me on instagram. Thanks again if you made it thus far.
Toodles ma noodles
'Till next interesting film, wild adventure, or thought-provoking idea.
MadMelch signing off
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