20th Century Women

That was my husband's Ford Galaxy.

We drove Jamie home...

from the hospital in that car.

My mom was 40 when she had me.

Everyone told her the she was

too old to be a mother.

I put my hand through the little

window and he squeezed my finger.

And I tell 'em, life was very big.

And unknown.

And she told me that

there were animals.

And sky and cities.

Music.

Movies.

He'd fall in love.

Have his own children.

Have passions.

Have meaning.

Have his mom and dad.

And they got divorced...

My father moved back east

and left the car with us.

He calls on birthdays and Christmas.

Last time I felt close to him,

was on my birthday in 1974.

He bought me mirrored sun glasses.

I saw the President fall downstairs.

And I threw up on the carpet.

Since then it's just been us.

You will go up to that plane.

No Richard no, what has

happened to you last night...

Listen, Captain.

I am having a party tonight,

it's my birthday actually.

And I would like you to drop by,

So I can feed you.

It's not necessary, Ms. Fields.

No, Dorothea, no... I insist.

Please.

It was a beautiful car.

Mom, It smelled like gas

and overheated all the time.

It was just old.

What?

Well, it wasnt always old.

Just got that way all of a sudden.

You know?

When the firemen come...

people don't usually invite them for dinner.

Yeah, why not?

I can't just move on...

be happy with my life, and...

bring blame on him.

That just makes me feel like

I'm not good enough.

It is inconsistently

being compared to my dad.

Hey, sorry.

Jamie's not here right now.

They are not home.

Don't.

I'm taking a picture of everything

that happens to me in a day.

I don't like having my pictures taken.

I didn't happen to you.

Hello.

- Hey, hi.

- Hi.

Here.

You aren't gonna believe...

- what happened.

- What?

Our car burst into flames

in the parking lot.

Eh...

- Seriously?

- Are you okay?

Yeah, we are okay.

How did it happen?

I don't know. They said it was

probably just something electrical.

We walked down and it

was just sitting there.

On fire.

Oh Man!

- Yes.

- I'm sorry.

So...

What happened...?

They never tell you, anything.

I will know anything for

like a week.

And I'm..

I'm gonna be late on rent.

That's okay, don't worry about that.

Thanks.

Oh God!

What if you've been in the car?

I wouldn't be here.

You would've missed me?

Don't joke.

It's so much easier

before you got all horny.

- But it's not like you don't...

- Do what?

Friends can have sex and still be friends.

I like us, like we are, okay?

Okay.

Jamie, Could you come help me

set out please?

Can my mom just chill out?

She is compensating for her loneliness.

Dorothea,

All that is really beautiful moulding.

It is.

I wanna continue

that around the side.

Well,

we are gonna have to rematch that.

Now is that...

Is that actually wood?

- Or is that plaster?

- The plaster is underneath it.

The moulding on the outside. There is wood.

Okay. It's gonna take a little bit of time.

- But...

- We got.

Okay, no, it's good.

Actually, it was built in 1905.

And the same family had it forever,

but they lost all their money

during the war.

And then there was a fire and...

They should have been hit with that.

Anyway.

So... It was just a mess,

they've let it fall apart.

Then a bohemian inherited it in '60s...

and free spirits moved down.

- And they lost it to the bank.

- Beautiful.

I completely fell in love with them...

We are connected to the dirt,

'cause we came from the dirt.

The dirt is made of stars.

and started out the

same way that we are.

So...

When you put your hands into that...

Dirt and feel the Earth Mother.

William...

It look as though,

I'm gonna be in need of a car.

Do you think that you have

something for me out there?

Cheap?

Maybe that '49 Deluxe.

I think we can work something out,

Maybe we'll trade for rent or something.

- Thank you.

- Sure

Okay, got through that one.

Alright, just um.. give me a minute.

And then come out.

My mom was born in 1924.

When she was my age, people...

drove in sad cars to sad houses.

With old phones,

no money or food.

Or televisions.

But people were real.

And when she was 16...

the war broke out and

she had to leave school.

Her dream was to be a

pilot in the Air Force.

She actually went to the flight school.

But the war ended

before she was done.

She became the first

woman to work...

In the continental Can

company drafting room.

Then she met my dad.

And then I came.

And they got divorced.

But people from her time...

never admit anything went wrong.

What do you mean?

I'm sorry, he is too young to have...

an account in his name only.

Little guy.

No, he's a person,

he's not half a person.

And he's not some cute little guy.

He has vision, autonomy and privacy.

He needs a bank account.

Can you do that for us?

Jamie, you can't just keep skipping...

the school and making excuses.

Wait a minute, why not?

Why you can't he just skip school?

If he has a legitimate need to be away.

Well, the I need a

"legitimate" real note from you.

- okay.

- With your real signature.

Wow,

how did you forged my signature so well?

That is ingenious!

But you should never forge

someone's signature...

..Do anything behind someone's back.

Please excuse Jamie from

school this morning.

He was doing volunteer

work for the Sandinistas.

Please excuse Jamie from

school this morning.

He was involved in a

small plane accident.

Fortunately, He was not hurt.

Will be for a legendary surprise.

It's mahogany underneath.

She's always trying to bring

a man into my life.

This is probably Honduran mahogany,

- Really fine grain.

- This is like, really really boring.

Hey, Come on! Watch it.

He's going over like woods and stuffs.

He's helping me out

restore the house, okay?

IBM.

She writes down her stocks every morning.

$213.20.

GE?

$51.62.

She smokes Salem,

because they are healthier.

Wears Birkenstocks because

she is contemporary.

She read "Watership Down"...

And learned how to carve

rabbits out of wood.

And she never dates a man for very long.

Thank you, Popeye.

Good night, Dorothea.

- Goodnight.

- Bye.

So I'll see you later.

Just don't hang with that Chris guy anymore,

okay?

And he's kinda dumb.

Exactly.

- Happy Birthday.

- Bye, Julie.

Stop.

What?

You think that you know

everything that's going on.

No, I just think that...

You know having your heart broken, is a...

tremendous way to learn about the world.

Okay.

Do you think you're happy?

Like...

As happy as you thought you'd be

when you were at my age.

Seriously?

You don't ask people question like that.

You're my mom.

Especially your mom.

Look. Wondering if you are happy...

It's a great shortcut

to just being depressed.

Give me that.

What is that?

It's the "The Raincoast".

Can't things just be pretty?

"Pretty music" is used to hide...

how unfair and corrupt society is.

Okay so.

They are not very good.

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