In the official teaser trailer for 20th Century Women, the time and place is Santa Barbara, 1979. U.S. President Jimmy Carter is giving a speech on television, saying, "We are at a turning point in history. There is a growing disrespect for government. It is a crisis of confidence."
We see a variety of Americans going through various things in their lives. A family gathered around the television have different opinions on Mr. Carter's speech. Later, a mother (Annette Bening) tells her young son that this is the really hard part, and then it gets better. And then it gets hard again. She tells him that wondering if he's happy is just a short cut to being depressed.