Catherine Breillat (75) just released Last Summer , a shocking drama about a 50-year-old lawyer having an affair with her 17-year-old stepson. It is not a film that seeks your approval; it demands you take the complexity of an older woman's desire seriously.
This is a massive departure from the 1990s and 2000s, where a romantic subplot for a 50-year-old woman was usually a joke. Today, these stories are winning BAFTAs and Independent Spirit Awards. It turns out the stereotype was a lie. Mature women go to the movies. According to the MPAA, women over 40 make up a massive percentage of arthouse and prestige TV viewership. They buy books, subscribe to newsletters, and—crucially—they get angry when they are ignored. Catherine Breillat (75) just released Last Summer ,
The success of The Help , Julie & Julia , Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again , and even the recent 80 for Brady (featuring Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno, and Sally Field, with a combined age of over 300) proves the "grey dollar" is green. Today, these stories are winning BAFTAs and Independent