From KCRW in Santa Monica, this is The Treatment.

Welcome to The Treatment.

You can also hear this show at KCRW.com.

My guest, artist and filmmaker Mike Mills, directs movies that are, I think,

about ownership of self, finally. His adaptation of the novel Thumb Sucker, one of his early

feature films dealt with that. And as his newest film, The Much More Arobiographical Beginners,

starring Hugh McGregor and Christopher Palmer. Mike, welcome back to the show.

Thank you so much for having me.

But I want to ask you about that before we get into what beginners is.

I mean, even in your work and other pieces, film pieces you've done,

sort of about memory and figuring out what you are,

coming to grips about identity is really important to you as a filmmaker.

And as an artist.

Yeah, you put it very well.

I don't know if I can have a follow up to that.

It's not, I really feel like it's like trying to, trying to be yourself

or trying to distance yourself from these stories that have been sort of running your life

unconsciously and trying to get past a story and get to some other place

that's maybe more you or real or whatever word you want to use and that sort of struggle

and that negotiation.

So like a thumb sucker, people call it a coming of age film, but to me it's like an individuation

story in all different ways, like from the teen to the parent, from the parent to the family,

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