But when we see kicking ass in Fast & Furious , or Meryl Streep having a tender, erotic romance in Hope Gap , or Isabelle Huppert playing a rape victim who refuses to be a victim in Elle —we are re-writing the narrative.

Young girls watching films see the cliff: You have ten good years, then you vanish. Mature women watching films feel the gaslight: Are my experiences irrelevant? Am I invisible?

And we are just getting started. What are your favorite performances by mature actresses in recent years? Drop a comment below—let's build a watchlist that celebrates wisdom over youth.