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Perhaps the most radical shift in modern cinema is the treatment of the "ex." In 1980s and 90s films, the ex-spouse was a plot device—a harpy or a deadbeat whose only role was to disrupt the new romance. Think of the shadowy first wife in Mrs. Doubtfire (though she is sympathetic, the film still positions her as the obstacle to Robin Williams’ zany dad).

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But the American (and global) family has changed. According to the Pew Research Center, nearly 40% of U.S. families are now "blended" in some way—remarriages, cohabiting partners with children from prior relationships, or multi-generational households. Modern cinema has finally caught up. In the last decade, a new wave of filmmakers has begun to deconstruct the traditional family unit, offering nuanced, messy, and deeply human portrayals of what it means to glue two (or more) fractured histories together.

No film handles this better than Marriage Story (2019). While not strictly a "blended" narrative in the stepfamily sense, Noah Baumbach’s masterpiece explores the cartography of divorce and the introduction of new partners. The son, Henry, becomes a pawn in a loyalty war. When Adam Driver’s Charlie learns that his ex-wife’s new partner (played by Ray Liotta) is spending time with Henry, the pain is visceral. The film understands that a new partner is a threat not to the marriage—which is already dead—but to the memory of the original family unit.