20th Century Women

Set in Santa Barbara in 1979, this film focuses on the efforts of a game matriarch (Annette Bening) to raise her boy into a man with the help of two other women: photographer lodger (Greta Gerwig) and one of her son's teenage peers (Elle Fanning). Thus the 15-year-old in question (Lucas Jade Zumann) adds feminist philosophy to his reading list and finds himself on the frontline of some peculiarly female dramas. The third film from writer/director Mike Mills (Beginners) resembles a playful patchwork, positioning its characters within their specific historical, personal and cultural context. Moments of dreamy existentialism sit ill with the irreverent tone, but Bening is a hoot as the capricious protagonist and she allows plenty of room for her co-stars to shine. The highlight, however, is the sparkling screenplay, which pokes fun at liberal parenting and other intergenerational clashes, as the players try to better understand each other and themselves.