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Between the likes of Challengers, Love Lies Bleeding, and yes, Nosferatu, 2024 has seen no shortage of erotic thrillers, a genre that’s (seemingly) been on its last legs but has been enjoying something of a mini-renaissance as of late. Fresh off a buzzy festival run and a world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, Halina Reijn’s Babygirl is the latest flick hoping to capture audiences’ fascination with taboo, chronicling a female CEO who embarks on a kink-laden affair with an intern. But while Babygirl’s slick editing and sound design make for a memorable theatrical experience, the film’s vague, half-hearted script smothers any heat generated by Kidman’s full-bodied performance.
Babygirl Review
Starring Kidman and Harris Dickinson, Babygirl follows Romy (Kidman), a Fortune 500 CEO who’s made her millions in warehouse automation. Though Romy is seemingly happily married to theater director Jacob (an impassioned and underused Antonio Banderas), she’s unfulfilled in her sex life, regularly sneaking into her office to watch pornography after hours. After witnessing Samuel (Dickinson) calm a dog on the street, Romy begins fantasizing about Samuel discipling her in a similar manner, unaware he’s one of her new interns. The duo begins a torrid affair, allowing Romy to explore all manner of undiscovered kinks, including roleplaying as Samuel’s dog.
Undeniably, Babygirl has an intoxicating premise and all the right bones in place to explore the messy, gendered dynamics at the intersection of corporate America and the kink world: Romy epitomizes “girl boss” feminism as the only woman in an industry full of men, yet seeks to be degraded and humiliated in her personal life. When Romy’s secretary Esme (Sophie Wilde) catches wind of her and Samuel’s affair, she calls out the irony of the situation before subsequently blackmailing her for a better position — one of the few times Babygirl seems genuinely interested in unpacking the tangled web that is Romy’s work/life balance.
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Unfortunately, though, Babygirl is much more eager for vague, vanilla kink scenes and fingers in mouths than digging into the psychology of Kidman’s character, and the majority of the film’s runtime is dedicated to Dickinson and Kidman making eyes at each other and clashing in tense, frantic hookups. To Reijn’s credit, Samuel and Romy are both delightfully messy characters that subvert existing tropes in the genre — Samuel’s youth and inexperience means cracks sometimes slip through the “dominant” facade he’s putting on for Romy.
Similarly, Romy’s neuroses and self-awareness make her a starkly refreshing, vulnerable character — even if we don’t relate to her specific proclivities, there’s a distinct relatability in how hyper-aware Romy is in the strangeness of the situation. What’s frustrating, then, is that Babygirl is so eager to get down to the nitty-gritty that Romy and Samuel fall to the wayside as individual characters, feeling less like human beings and more like vehicles for kink. Ample time is spent watching the two writhe together, not nearly as much spent on the “who,” “how,” or “why,” behind both Romy and Samuel’s specific sexual tastes.
Of the two, Romy certainly comes off as the more fully realized character, thanks mostly to Kidman’s wholehearted dedication to the strange physicality the role demands. Somewhat ironically, though, it’s when Kidman is opposite Banderas that her performance feels the most raw and impactful: the increasingly strained dynamic between Romy and Jacob gives Babygirl some much-needed emotional depth.
As for Dickinson, he plays Samuel with a curious transparency: he’s clearly self-assured and confident but falters when challenged and seemingly lacking in experience. But as much depth as Dickinson attempts to give him, Babygirl spends virtually no time interrogating Samuel as a character beyond his relationship with Romy. When the two clash it’s often more tense than erotic, creating a paradoxical chemistry that serves the film’s comedic beats well but undercuts attempts at, for lack of a better word, sexiness.
Though Babygirl’s large ensemble cast and ample subplots tease personal and professional implications for Romy, Reijn’s single-minded interest in focusing on Samuel and Romy’s exploits leaves the spinning of its wheels in the same tepid scene.
Grade: C
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Babygirl
A high-powered CEO puts her career and family on the line when she begins a torrid affair with her much younger intern.
Release Date: December 24, 2024
Director: Halina Reijn
Cast: Nicole Kidman , Harris Dickinson , Antonio Banderas
