Twelve Days of Twentieth Century Women # 1 The Raincoats

Twentieth Century Women, a film which came out last year focuses on California at the end of the Seventies. With a teenage boy surrounded by strong females and immersing himself in the Punk and New Wave experience, it's an interesting film with an interesting soundtrack. 

In one memorable scene the Annette Benning mother character comes into the boy's room and finds him and a female friend listening to the first Raincoats album. She can't understand why anyone would want to and the conversation goes as follows:

'Dorothea (Benning): What is that?

Abigail: It's The Raincoats.

Dorothea: Can't things just be pretty? 

Jamie: Pretty music is used to hide how unfair and corrupt society is.

Dorothea: Ah, OK, (sits on bed). So they're not very good and they know that. Right?

Abigail: Yeah. It's like they have all this feeling. And they don't have any skill. And they don't want skill. Because it's really interesting what happens when your passion is bigger than the tools you have to deal with it. It creates this energy that's raw. Isn't it great?

Dorothea doesn't respond.'

This conversation may never have actually taken place but it is a revealing one and illustrates well some of the films quite original concerns.