Shubhabrata Dutta
Love knows no boundaries. Anne Hathaway’s Dr. Amelia Brand stated in ‘Interstellar’ (2014) that love can be an artifact of a higher dimension. It is probably the only thing humans are capable of perceiving that transcends time and space. So, age as a condition for love is inconsequential, if not futile. On the other hand, there are some age-gap relationships that aren’t motivated by love but insidious intent or the desires of the skin of either party or both parties. In such cases, the feelings of the heart are replaced with the urges of the mind. Here, we bring you a list of the best age-gaps relationship movies, ranging from pure and healthy to toxic and obsessive, streamable on Netflix.
10. Lonely Planet (2024)
Starring Laura Dern and Liam Hemsworth, ‘Lonely Planet’ is a sweet love story about an author falling in love with a much younger fellow in the mesmerizing city of Marrakesh, Morocco. Katherine is searching for a way to get over her writer’s block when she meets Owen, who is there with his emotionally distant girlfriend. Both Katherine and Owen, who is 20 years younger than her, are re-evaluating stuff and realize that they are drawn to each other. However, the age gap may just be what keeps them apart. Only time will tell if they can get over it and be with each other. ‘Lonely Planet’ is a sweet, binge-worthy drama that showcases age-gap relationships in a light manner. It can be streamed here.
9. MILF (2018)
A light-hearted French sex comedy, ‘MILF’ shows the sexual exploits of three women best friends in their 40s who go on a vacation by the French Riviera. Sonia (Marie-Josée Croze), Cécile (Virginie Ledoyen), and Elise (Axelle Laffont) plan on rejuvenating themselves but it comes in the form of three guys in their 20s who show a lot of interest in the ladies. What follows is an exploration of sex and desire, which is a subtle commentary on society’s stigma on the matter, especially age-gap relationships. The film is directed by Axelle Laffont and co-stars Waël Sersoub, Waël Sersoub, and Victor Meutelet, all three playing the characters that comprise the young trio. You can watch the movie here.
8. Last Summer (2021)
This Turkish romance, directed by Ozan Açıktan, has age gaps all over the place. 16-year-old Deniz (Fatih Sahin) arrives in Bodrum, Turkey, for the summer. Here, he meets his sister’s best friend/childhood crush, “Miss” Asli (Ece Cesmioglu). As he spends his days cautiously flirting with her, his attraction towards her is watered. However, the flow gets obstructed by an older man named Borak (Halit Özgür Sarı), whom Asli seemingly takes a liking to. This results in a love triangle in which Deniz is not only the youngest but also the most emotionally vulnerable one. Can he navigate his way through the triangle, which can turn out to be as overwhelming in depth as the Bermuda Triangle itself? ‘Last Summer’ keeps things light without losing its charm as an adolescent’s journey as he takes to the coming-of-age street. You can watch the movie here.
7. A Family Affair (2024)
This rom-com shows how a romance between a single mom and a much younger Hollywood star takes a toll on the woman’s 24-year-old daughter, who is also the actor’s frustrated personal assistant. When Zara finds out about her boss Chris’ secret affair with her mother, Brooke, she is enraged, so to speak. While Chris and Brooke are happy together, Zara isn’t able to let go of Chris’ past, which involves the pain he inflicted on countless women by breaking their hearts. Naturally, she doesn’t want that to happen with her mom, but what if Brooke is genuinely happy with Chris? Funny in a binge-watchable manner, ‘A Family Affair’ is directed by Richard LaGravenese and stars Joey King, Nicole Kidman, and Zac Efron. You can watch it here.
6. No Hard Feelings (2023)
This sex comedy is a sweet addition to our list. Directed by Gene Stupnitsky, ‘No Hard Feelings’ shows how 32-year-old Maddie Barker (Jennifer Lawrence) tries to bring 19-year-old Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman) out of his shell before he heads for college. Maddie has been hired specifically for the job by the teen’s parents, who have been unable to help him confront his urges as a newly turned man, especially those associated with women. While she needs the money and is completely up for the job, Percy looks at the whole situation from a more emotional angle, ending up falling for Maddie. Their relationship cannot be described; it can only be understood and felt. As Maddie explains the whole scenario to Percy and addresses his newfound inquiries, ‘No Hard Feelings’ transitions from a sex comedy to a coming-of-age drama. You can watch the movie here.
5. The Perfect Find (2023)
Directed by Numa Perrier and based on the book by Tia Williams, ‘The Perfect Find’ follows forty-year-old Jenna Jones (Gabrielle Union), whose well-established fashion career needs a jumpstart in the wake of a year-long brooding over her breakup. After getting a new opportunity as a creative director at her frenemy Darcy’s (Gina Torres) company, she kisses a guy named Eric (Keith Powers), who is 15 years younger, on a night out, only to discover soon enough that Eric is Darcy’s son. The two like each other, but is she willing to risk her job for it? An age-gap relationship can be troublesome, and if you get involved with your boss’s son/daughter, you need to ask yourself one question: Is it the perfect find? The film can be streamed here.
4. Dil Chahta Hai (2001)
This Indian Hindi drama explores the romance in the lives of three college-graduate best friends as life takes a more serious turn. Akash, Sameer, and Siddharth AKA Sid have different ways of looking at love. Among them, Sid falls for his new neighbor, the much older Tara Jaiswal, a divorcee. Whether their love works out is what we find out right at the end of the film. The rest of it explores the love lives of Akash and Sameer who face many ups and downs looking for the right woman. ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ is considered a cult film today due to its themes and music. It received 13 nominations at the 47th Filmfare Awards, winning 7. It also won 2 awards at the 49th National Film Awards. The film is directed by Farhan Akhtar and stars Aamir Khan as Akash, Saif Ali Khan as Sameer, Akshaye Khanna as Sid, and Dimple Kapadia as Tara. Also co-starring are Preity Zinta and Sonali Kulkarni. You can watch the film here.
3. Black Island (2021)
‘Black Island’ (‘Schwarze Insel’) is a German thriller that has an age-gap relationship at its heart. We meet high school graduate Jonas, who has been living with his grandfather, Friedrich, on a remote North Sea island after the tragic death of his parents and grandmother. Jonas soon gets involved with his new substitute teacher, Helena Jung. As things get more and more torrid between the two, we find out that Helena is carrying within her a dark secret that is connected not to Jonas but to Friedrich and which is about to take a tragic toll on Jonas. In this film, as mentioned in the introduction, the age-gap relationship results from a dark, manipulative intent rooted in revenge. Starring Philip Froissant, Alice Dwyer, Hanns Zischler, and Mercedes Müller, ‘Black Island’ is directed by Miguel Alexandre. You can watch it here.
2. May December (2023)
‘May December’ explores an age-gap relationship based on a true story that hit national news in the 90s. We have Gracie, a 60-year-old woman, and Joe Yoo, a 37-year-old man, who are married and have been in a sexual relationship since Yoo was a minor and Gracie was in her 30s. Gracie is approached by Elizabeth, who wants to interview her for the former’s upcoming film in which she will be playing Gracie. How things unraveled between Gracie and Yoo is what we find out as the plot progresses. The film is partly based on the case of Mary Kay Letourneau, who was arrested in 1997 after being accused of sexually abusing her student, Vili Fualaau, when he was a minor. ‘May December’ stars Julianne Moore as Gracie, Natalie Portman as Elizabeth, and Charles Melton as Joe Yoo. You can watch the film here.
1. Miller’s Girl (2024)
This underrated Jade Halley Bartlett directorial explores a rather toxic age-gap relationship between a teacher and a student. We have Martin Freeman’s Jonathan Miller, a creative writing teacher, who gets involved with 18-year-old Cairo Sweet, played by Jenna Ortega. Taking the shape of an erotic thriller, the narrative shows Jonathan’s silent sexual desire pinned against the wall by Cairo’s urge to dominate him and gain a sadistic pleasure out of it. Jonathan’s married life, too, is affected. If we compare this film with “May December,’ we can see that the roles are somewhat reversed, with each film addressing an extreme point in an age-gap relationship. Ortega pulls off a brilliant performance as a manipulative Cairo, underscored by Freeman’s subtle yet strong portrayal of the flawed Jonathan. You can watch ‘Miller’s Girl’ here.
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