Set in the late 1970's, '20th century women' studies the counter culture of the era and the coming of age story of a teenage boy discovering how to become an individual man. Good-natured without being too sentimental '20th century women' is a film which places idealism and philosophy front and center while still remaining characters which still feel realistic and natural.
For a drama film which is nominated for the Oscars it's surprising that none of the performances here are nominated. Annette Bening shines as the impulsive single mother Dorothea Fields. She is perfectly cast in this role as sells every minute of comedy and drama the character has to offer. Elle Fanning turns in another good performance to her rapidly growing filmography. Newcomer Lucas Jade Zumann gives a great and honest performances as the films lead. One of my favorite and the most surprising aspects of this film for me was the cultural setting of the punk scene which grew in California at that time. The film stars with the first wave of punk and continues through the new wave and hardcore punk scenes. As someone who is interested in the history of punk it was not only a nice feature, but also accurately presented the youth culture of the time which is crucial for a coming of age story.
Despite the strength of the performances and writing I felt that the second act of the film dragged and became too repetitive, which made the film longer than I believe it needed to be.
Rating: 7/10
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