Halina Reijn, the director behind 2022’s wildly entertaining Bodies Bodies Bodies, returns with Babygirl, an erotic drama starring Nicole Kidman. Kidman, now 57, has never shied away from taking on racy material, but her role as Romy, an aging CEO for a growing artificial intelligence company, is her most daring to date. It’s interesting to see the film release the same year as Demi Moore’s The Substance. The two stories couldn’t be more different on the surface, but at their cores they’re both about beautiful, powerful women struggling to cope with the fact that they’re aging.
While I hate to use the word “brave” to describe any performance, there is something inspiring about Kidman’s (and Moore’s) willingness to be so exposed, both physically and emotionally, while tackling such a subject matter. Kidman perfectly encapsulates a vulnerability that is difficult to achieve, delivers one of the greatest performances of her long career.
The Story of Babygirl
Romy (Nicole Kidman) seemingly has the perfect life. She’s the CEO of a successful company, has two daughters and a husband that love her. She has wealth and power, but is ultimately unsatisfied. When a mysterious young intern enters her life, he turns her routinely scheduled existence into a sexually exciting game of cat and mouse. But as their forbidden relationship intensifies, the affair becomes dangerously complicated.
Kidman Sizzles
There’s never been any doubt about Nicole Kidman’s onscreen talents, but Babygirl challenges the actress in ways we’ve not seen before. The character of Romy is a familiar one, but one that is rarely examined with such rawness as we see in Babygirl. It’s a role that could easily have fallen flat or felt one-dimensional in the wrong hands, but Kidman, the pro that she is, captures the duality of drive and desire and expresses them fluently. It’s easy to frustratedly ponder, “Why would you do this? You’re ruining your life!“ from the comfort of one’s couch, but what drives Romy is far more complicated, and Kidman allows herself to convincingly slip into the complexities of the illicit affair.
From the very opening of the film audiences are shown what type of movie they’re in for. It’s explicit and delves intimately into the taboos of sexual gratification and fantasy, pleasure and perversion. As a CEO Romy holds a position of immense power. Her husband, though devoted and loyal, fails to challenge her and without challenge or risk she becomes bored. That’s when Samual (Harris Dickinson) enters the picture. As an intern he is at the polar opposite position of power to Romy, but as the affair is sparked the imbalance in power shifts, placing Samual in a dominant position to Romy’s submissive one. It’s a complicated and tangled venture and those complications add to the tension and risk of the venture.
Cinematographer Jasper Wolf reunites with Reijn following their collaboration on Bodies Bodies Bodies. Wolf’s abilities behind the camera pair perfectly with Reijn’s stylistic vision of power and seduction. The tangled webs of lies and deceit build like a house of cards that are sure to collapse. It’s interesting that cheating and affairs are objectively wrong by the standards of most civilized people, yet the reasons behind a cheater’s actions can often go deeper than any mere observer can comprehend. With Babygirl, audiences will, more likely than not, find themselves understanding of Romy’s desires despite whatever moralistic objections they may hold.
With the spotlight on Kidman (as it should be), Antonio Banderas’ performance has been under-celebrated. He takes the role of the husband, which is far smaller in regards to screen time, and brings an emotional depth to the film that’s necessary to fully understand the scope of the situation. The cast is stellar, but it’s Kidman and Banderas who showcase the most depth and elicit the most feeling, a testament to their decades in front of the camera.
Should You Watch Babygirl?
Babygirl is absolutely riveting, with a career-best performance from Kidman. I’ve heard it described as A24’s attempt at Fifty Shades of Grey, but that comparison is too shallow to do justice to Reijn’s film. The sex, though important and significant, is secondary to the human impact of giving in to impulses.
8/10
Babygirl is now in theaters.
Learn more about the film, including how to buy tickets, at the official website.
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