Dutch actress-turned-director Halina Reijn’s new film, Babygirl, follows her earlier work Bodies Bodies Bodies. The film go into a provocative look at power dynamics within a troubling relationship.
With Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson starring, this A24 release is already gaining attention with its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival and a Christmas release date. However, the film’s content is extremely controversial.
What Is Babygirl About?
Nicole Kidman stars as Romy Mathis, a highly successful executive at a company that handles logistics for large warehouses, similar to Amazon. Romy appears to have a perfect life. She graduated summa cum laude from Yale and is married to Jacob (Antonio Banderas), a Broadway director.
They have two children, a luxurious city apartment, and a house with a pool in the suburbs. Yet, something is missing: a satisfying sexual relationship. Jacob has never given Romy an orgasm. The film starts with one of their sexual encounters, which ends with Romy leaving to watch porn and pleasure herself in another room.
On her way to work, she notices a young man handling an aggressive dog. He later shows up at her office as an intern named Samuel (Harris Dickinson), eager to work with her.
During their first meeting, Samuel suggests that Romy likes to be told what to do, which is usually unacceptable in any workplace. However, this comment excites Romy in a sexual way.
He prevents her from leaving the meeting, and they end up kissing. Samuel, portrayed by Dickinson, does not seem seductive or threatening; he comes off more like a playful, boundary-testing child. Despite his casting being unusual, it does not ruin the film.
The film’s recurring theme is Romy’s desire to be treated like a dog. Samuel knows how to trigger this desire. He sends her a glass of milk from the bar and praises her as a “good girl” after she drinks it.
He commands her to get on all fours, eat candy from his hand, and drink milk from a dish. If she resists, he uses blackmail, referring to sexual harassment training he received during onboarding.
Why Babygirl Is Hard to Take Seriously
The film raises questions about whether it is sexist to comply with someone’s degrading fantasies. This thought is provocative and troubling. Since the director is a cisgender woman, some might question if it makes the film less offensive. However, it might be challenging to view this as harmless given that it seems to exploit Nicole Kidman more than previous filmmakers like Lars von Trier.
If this were a different time, Reijn’s film might be considered more seriously. Unfortunately, Catherine Breillat’s Last Summer, which covers similar themes, was released recently and handles them with more depth.
Breillat’s film offers more nuanced portrayals, including the older woman’s maternal instincts and the manipulative stepson, elements missing from Reijn’s work.
In Babygirl, Romy’s supposed protectiveness seems insincere. Reijn doesn’t show whether Samuel might have ulterior motives for advancing his career. Instead, the film focuses on graphic sadomasochistic scenes set to George Michael’s “Father Figure.”
While Breillat’s characters feel more authentic, Reijn’s approach comes off as superficially shocking. Babygirl attempts to provoke thought on power and desire within a troubled relationship. Despite its bold themes and provocative scenes, the film struggles with depth and nuance.
While it features strong performances, particularly from Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson, it often feels more sensational than insightful. Comparisons to other works, like Catherine Breillat’s Last Summer, highlight its shortcomings in showing complex emotional dynamics.
Ultimately, Babygirl raises questions about personal boundaries and sexual fantasies but may leave viewers questioning whether it adds anything substantial to the conversation on these controversial topics.
