How often do you watch a film and still think about it many days later? For me, it’s not often—and I stream a lot of TV and movies. Yet I found “Dreams”, released in American cinemas on February 27th, continuing to haunt me in its portrayal of power and fraying passion. In it, a wealthy female philanthropist secretly dates a young Mexican ballet dancer, who immigrates to America illegally. It is one of several recent titles—including “Marty Supreme”, “Babygirl” and “The Idea of You”—that depict a yawning age gap between an older woman and younger man.

Off screen, that sort of cougar-cub relationship is much rarer. And in any case, age gaps in relationships in general are narrowing. In 1920 American husbands were about four and a half years older than their wives. Can you guess what the average age difference is today? I’ll give you a hint: it’s nothing like what’s portrayed in any of the films I mentioned.