20th Century Women 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

20th Century Women 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf September 3, 2026

In 2011’s “Beginners,” writer/director Mike Mills mined personal experiences to inform a story of parental understanding and acceptance, delivering a level of intimacy his debut effort, 2005’s “Thumbsucker,” completely lacked. “Beginners” offered a more exploratory viewing experience, and Mills wisely builds on it for “20th Century Women,” which also presents a semi-autobiographical approach to best capture nuanced human behavior. Taking audiences to 1979, a year of remarkable social, political, and musical transitions, Mills inspects ways of sexuality, friendships, and maturation, but he really zeros in on parenthood, showing interest in the dynamic between a mother and her rebellious son. While a collection of actresses contributing some of their finest work is enough to entice, it’s the texture Mills brings to his characters that completely sells “20th Century Women,” securing a rich understanding of personality to go along with his more artful take on the flow of life.

In Santa Barbara, California, Dorothea (Annette Bening, in a charmingly restless turn) lives a single life, attentive to her only child, Jamie (Lucas Jade Zumann), while surrounded by tenants William (Billy Crudup), who works on restoring the house, and Abbie (Greta Gerwig), a photographer recovering from cervical cancer. Also visiting the dwelling is Julie (Elle Fanning), who thinks of Jamie as her best friend, frustrating a teen boy who would like their relationship to be so much more. Hitting adolescence hard, testing boundaries that were really never there to begin with, Jamie works to find himself, inching away from Dorothea, who once enjoyed a tight relationship with her boy. Asking William, Abbie, and Julie to help raise Jamie, the group effort carries tremendous emotional weight, with each member of the makeshift family dealing with intense issues of identity and health, while Jamie tries to make sense of his mother and her idiosyncratic ways.

Characters aren’t simply introduced in “20th Century Women,” they’re understood in a unique way. Mills combines visual elements such as distinctive costuming and makeup (or the absence of it) with meditative narration to achieve a full sense of life, watching these troubled personalities figure out one another while they ask questions and consider their personal histories. It’s not cheap exposition, but poetry, finding the screenplay using time in fascinating ways, especially Dorothea, who discusses her own eventual death as she recalls the important moments of her existence. “20th Century Women” is a detail-oriented picture, and the narration is a valuable piece of the puzzle, standing back to reflect on decisions and realities, which provide a fuller feeling of screen presence. One can practically taste Dorothea’s cigarettes, or feel Abbie’s frustration with her own medical situation. Mills has a way of slipping into the skin of these women, with Jamie and his adolescent ways the real mystery that drives the story.

Dorothea is a strange lady, with an uncommon sense of independence that’s defined her life. She’s not abnormal, but sensitive and contemplative, pouring her energy into the raising of Jamie, with the older mother soon realizing that the boy would benefit from having a man in his life. William isn’t an ideal choice (he’s a kind but boring guy), urging Dorothea to encourage her “village” to raise the child, asking Abbie and Julie (the daughter of a teen therapist) to use their influence and help Jamie through a turbulent period in his life. Of course, the parent’s own permissiveness plays a part in the domestic unraveling, with Mills comically exploring Dorothea’s encouragement of rebellious ways, pushing the teen to rage against the educational machine as school becomes a part-time commitment. Easing the unsettled mood along is a generation gap, with Dorothea inside a house that’s experiencing the transition from punk to new wave, realizing she’s out of touch with the youth, increasing a divide that’s already canyon-esque between her and Jamie.

20th Century Women 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

"20th Century Women" was originally issued on Blu-ray by Lionsgate Films in 2017, and returns with a new UHD release from Criterion Collection, listed as "upscaled from the 2K theatrical digital" master, "created from the original digital camera media." It's certainly not an explosive visual experience, but respectful of the original cinematography, offering welcome textures on skin particulars on the cast and their range of ages. Costuming also maintain interesting fibrousness with various displays of period style. Household interiors explore decoration and maintain dimension. Exteriors deliver appealing depth with tours of California locations. Color is inviting, preserving Mills and his love of primaries, which carries through paint choices and clothing options. Golden sun is maintained, along with defined greenery and stylistic rainbow additions. Skin tones are natural. Blacks are deep throughout. Highlights are tasteful. Encoding mostly holds together, with a mild anomaly during a late night beach visit sequence at the 80-minute mark.

20th Century Women 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix delivers sharp dialogue exchanges, preserving performance choices and balancing emotional moments. Scoring offering delicate support and defined instrumentation, joined by soundtrack selections, which provide crisp vocals. "20th Century Women" is largely a frontal listening event, with surrounds mildly engaged during musical moments and party action with group activity. Atmospherics are also subtle. Low-end isn't challenged, but carries some heft with percussive additions.

20th Century Women 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features writer/director Mike Mills.

• "Making '20th Century Women'" (9:28, HD) is an overview of production achievements, featuring interviews with writer/director Mike Mills, producer Youree Henley, production designer Chris Jones, cinematographer Sean Porter, and actors Annette Bening, Elle Fanning, Greta Gerwig, Billy Crudup, and Lucas Jade Zumann. The interviewees explore the story of "20th Century Women," and analyze characterization. The period setting of the picture is assessed, returning viewers to Mills's memory of 1979, and the autobiographical nature of the material is identified. BTS footage is also included.

• "'20th Century' Cast" (10:50, HD) collects interviews with writer/director Mike Mills and actors Annette Bening, Billy Crudup, Elle Fanning, Greta Gerwig, and Lucas Jade Zumann. The interviewees analyze the collaborative experience and casting stories, with most celebrating Mills and the complexities of the characters.

• "All I Need" (4:40, SD) is a music video featuring the band Air, directed by Mike Mills.

• "Eating Sleeping Waiting and Playing" (60:36, SD) is a 1999 documentary directed by Mike Mills that follows the band Air as they embark on a tour for their debut album.

• "Psycho Killer" (4:23, HD) is a 2025 music video for the 1977 Talking Heads song, directed by Mike Mills and featuring actress Saoirse Ronan.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (1:52, HD) is included.

20th Century Women 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"20th Century Women" is careful but absorbing. Mills rubs the textures of the era along the way, but uses the period wisely, staying away from bold fashion and set decoration to concentrate on a bizarre year - the historical diving board before the big splash into the 1980s. It's also a personal tale of knotted communication, with Mills feeling around subplots (some of them sexual, but most of them emotional) before returning to his primary concern: Dorothea and Jamie's fractured relationship. Matters get antagonistic before they become confessional, and "20th Century Women" has a distinctly satisfying way of examining behavior that ultimately leads to riveting, compassionate drama.