Babygirl Review: One of the Driest Erotic Thrillers!
As much as we as a society like to pretend we have entered a new type of “sexual revolution” where we are more open and honest about sex and desire, erotic films still create a divide among audiences. In cinema, especially with the upcoming generation like Gen Z and Gen Alpha, there is still this uncomfortability among general audiences of watching adults engage in adult behavior, thus making a film like Babygirl both groundbreaking and unsettling for others.
Related: “Nosferatu” Review – Best Gothic Films in Decades!
Babygirl follows Romy (Nicole Kidman) a tech company CEO who engages in an affair with her young intern Samuel, (Harris Dickinson) putting her job and family on the line in the process. Although Reijn’s film touches on women’s desires and power dynamics, the disappointment in Babygirl as a film is how it fails to elevate the age gap workplace dynamic in the way it wants to. Where some may see this movie as an original and innovative blend of eroticism and danger, its tame nature both theoretically and sexually keeps it at the ground level, never pushing the boundaries of its characters or subject matter.
Part of what gets under audiences’ and the movigoers’ skin and gets them sweating in their seats is the risk and passion that encapsulates a physical relationship between two people in a film. Tie in the significant age gap between businesswoman Romy and Samuel, Babygirl has the tools to suck its audience into a tension filled rendezvous. However, the film loses its spark in the portrayal of the characters and their motivations towards one another.
You’re mine. #BabygirlMovie is now playing in theaters nationwide! pic.twitter.com/qyzrRi1tVB
— Babygirl (@babygirlmovie) January 5, 2025
Babygirl focuses on what Romy and Samuel can get out of their relationship together; Romy, a solution to her internal sexual desires that have never been satisfied by her husband, and Samuel, a leadership role in a scenario where he would likely play the submissive role. Even that is being kind to Reijn’s scriptwriting, as Samuel’s endgame or any deeper connection to him as the story unfolds never comes to fruition, leaving his role in the film a means to tell Romy’s story.
At the root, there is no real connection or longing for one another, as Samuel could have been any young man vying for her attention and Romy could have been any woman who was CEO of the company. The lack of true desire for each other on the inside diminishes any sexiness the film tries to play out and leaves the audience feeling unfulfilled. Thus, it makes Romy’s decisions to put her marriage to her husband Jacob (Antonio Banderas) and family at stake dumbfounding.
The new year looks good on you. #BabygirlMovie is now playing in theaters nationwide. pic.twitter.com/bhYvwF07eh
— Babygirl (@babygirlmovie) January 2, 2025
Babygirl doesn’t know where to land on its themes of desire and generational differences. It seems her disconnection from the generation below her is evident in the characters of Samuel and her assistant Esme (Sophie Wilde), utilizing them as a means of shattering Romy’s life if their needs are also not met. Reijn then makes a connection between Romy and her Gen Z daughter Isabel and how they each satisfy their own desires, coming off as a generational female tie that doesn’t play as heavily as the film wishes it did.
Because Romy’s attraction to Samuel is conditional upon his age and willingness to give her what she wants, it seems proper communication and maturity would solve a situation that was contingent upon only sex and not emotional attraction, which she already had with her husband. Any sort of depth into Romy’s psyche and how it connected to her lack of fulfillment is overshadowed by a watered down script that takes on a lot without saying much about anything.
Everything to lose.
NicoleKidman is the perfect wife in Halina Reijn’s erotic thriller #BabygirlMovie. In theaters this Christmas. pic.twitter.com/q0MuceL6Yj
— Babygirl (@babygirlmovie) December 24, 2024
Babygirl does touch on the nature of females in the modern workplace, especially those who are able to make it to the top. There is often this ideology that women who focus on their careers and are in positions of power prefer this leadership role in all aspects of their life.
The film brings up the balance that women, and frankly humans, thrive off of a balance of give and take where a strong pull on either end of the spectrum defies the nuances of the human condition. When Romy begins to take a liking to being desired and subservient to Samuel in their sexual relationship, we see a more human side to her that goes beyond just her career trajectory.
Although this idea being brought up in Reijn’s script is noteworthy, it rarely develops in a way that says something about Romy’s desires and how her climb to the top may have halted her ability to speak up on more intimate matters. Harris Dickinson, a fantastic actor, is given little to work with in the script, positioning him as a role that could have been fulfilled by any number of actors, never allowing him to break beyond Samuel’s surface level portrayal. Babygirl is one of the driest erotic thrillers where its sexual nature on screen fails to hit its audience in any meaningful way.
‘Babygirl’ Rating – 2.5/5
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