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Small meets big
Aidan 2022-04-19 09:02:33
Despite its grand title, Women of the Twentieth Century presents a series of small events, some hilarious and heartfelt, some silly and melancholy, that define the characters in the film and what they are era. This is life, and "Twentieth Century Women" is full of such elements, worthy of the audience to savor. Mills presents these turbulent moments of transition with restrained artistry, sometimes switching from the past to the present to the future with enough nuance to make such transitions less frustrating. And, of course, Benin, who navigates Dorothea's turbulent life with virtuosity, without a shred of flaws or sympathy.
Extended Reading
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Jamie: I thought that was just the beginning of a new relationship with her, where she'd really tell me stuff. But maybe it was never really like that again. Maybe that was it.
Dorothea: In March of 1999, I'll start to feel tired and confused. When I finally go to the doctor, he will say that the cancer in my lungs had already travelled to my breast and brain. I'll try to teach Jamie what to do with my stocks, but my instructions will be impossible to understand.
Julie: Abbie will take me to Planned Parenthood. And I will go on the pill. I will go to NYU and lose touch with Jamie and Dorothea, and I will stop talking to my mom, I will fall in love with Nicholas, we will move to Paris, and choose not to have children.
Abbie: I will stay in Santa Barbara. In just two years, I'll marry Dave. A month after I get married Carlotta will die. A week later, Max will die too. I will work out of my garage and show in local galleries. Against my doctor's advice, I will get pregnant, and by the time I'm thirty I'll have two boys.
William: I'll live with Dorothea for another year. Then I'll open a pottery store in Sedona Arizona. I will marry Laurie, a singer-songwriter. We'll get divorced in a year. Then I'll meet Sandy, we will marry, and I will continue to do my pottery.
Jamie: My mom will meet Jim in 1983, they'll be a couple until she dies. On her birthday each year, he will buy her a trip on a biplane. Years after she's gone I'll finally get married and have a son. I'll try to explain to him what his grandmother was like - but it will be impossible.
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Jamie: [to his mom] You know, when the firemen come... people don't usually invite them for dinner.