The classic 1942 drama “Casablanca” featured a 16-year age gap between its romantic leads. The iconic dinosaur adventure film “Jurassic Park” had a 20-year age gap between love interests Alan Grant and Ellie Satler. The continued success of these beloved films suggests there’s a viable market for them, but what does that say about us?
Age-gap romances between heterosexual couples are a common phenomenon in film. They appear regardless of the time period or genre.
And although there are a few films with an older leading lady — take 1971’s “Harold and Maude,” or the recent film, “A Family Affair,” for example — age-gap movies lean overwhelmingly toward pairing an older man with a younger woman.
People often say that life imitates art, but in this case, it may be the other way around.
A study published in the journal “Evolution and Human Behavior” found that men of any age preferring younger women is consistent across multiple continents.
Socialization — “the process beginning during childhood by which individuals acquire the values, habits and attitudes of society,” according to Merriam-Webster — is a significant factor in choosing romantic and sexual partners.
A patriarchal society suggests that the best match for a woman may be a man who can “take care of her,” typically in a monetary sense. This is because women have historically been barred from attaining positions of power, according to ScienceDirect.
Socialization and expectations are parts of romance, but so is mental compatibility. What’s the point of falling in love if it’s with someone you can’t connect with emotionally?
We build lasting bonds with connection and vulnerability. Relationships take work, and they might need even more work if you don’t have enough in common with your partner, according to HuffPost.
It’s possible the idea that girls mature faster than boys — itself a product of a patriarchal society — encourages women to pursue older men. If women are constantly being told that they’re more mature than their peers, they may be more likely to seek out partners they perceive to be on the same maturity level.
The problem with significant age gaps in cinema and in life is that they imply power dynamics. With power dynamics comes inequality, and that can lead to coercion. The older partner often holds more power, thus limiting the younger partner’s ability to object and muddling the notion of consent, according to Vox.
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Many people are in happy, healthy relationships with an older partner. Age gaps have power imbalances, but there are ways to prevent those imbalances from becoming problematic. By arming young people with information and viable resources, we can help protect them.
It is important to remember that abuse is no one’s fault but the abuser’s.
Age isn’t the only factor in power dynamics either. Consider a company where the CEO is a 21-year-old woman in a relationship with a 40-year-old male intern.
Environment and personal attributes play a significant role in how we define and judge power dynamics. Maybe it’s a matter of attractiveness. We tend to ignore age gaps when they occur between heartthrobs, which applies especially to film.
Does attractiveness change how we view age? Or is it more about the lack of a visual difference in age? As a society, we may be willing to disregard age-gaps in cinema and in life if the couple is equally attractive.
Some films, though, lean into the taboo of age-gaps. “Miller’s Girl,” starring Jenna Ortega and Martin Freeman, leans into the controversy of the older man/younger woman trope. Critics and viewers alike called the film problematic, but it was a fascinating bit of cinema.
Movies let us indulge without fear. We know that something is wrong or socially unacceptable, but movies allow us to examine it in more detail.
Age gaps aren’t always depicted as problematic. In many cases, they’re treated so normally we don’t even notice. That has pros and cons, depending on the piece of media.
On one hand, normalizing age gaps in film potentially reduces stigma in the real world. On the other hand, it potentially downplays red flags and the real-life problems that can be related to dating a much older partner.
Age-gap films tend to ignore said problems. “Something’s Gotta Give,” starring Jack Nicholson, addressed the problems and ultimately ended with its protagonist choosing an age-appropriate partner.
Many factors go into the prevalence of age-gap relationships in film. It may be a phenomenon for which there is no single answer.
At the end of the day, pop culture is important, but it’s nothing without our reactions to it. Art for art’s sake is still made for an audience.
Arly Garcia is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @dailylobo
