20th Century Women is a 2016 American comedy-drama film directed and written by Mike Mills, based in part on Mills' childhood. Starring Annette Bening, Elle Fanning, Greta Gerwig, Billy Crudup, and Lucas Jade Zumann, the film focuses on the story of three women who explore love and freedom in Southern California during the late 1970s. The film had its world premiere at the New York Film Festival as the Centerpiece on October 8, 2016, and was theatrically released on December 28, 2016 by A24. The film was released to universal acclaim, with Rotten Tomatoes listing an approval rating of 89%, based on 159 reviews, with an average rating of 7.8/10, and Metacritic scoring it at 83 out of 100, based on 40 reviews.