Babygirl (2024) Review!!

Synopsis – A high-powered CEO puts her career and family on the line when she begins a torrid affair with her much-younger intern.

My Take – Joining the parade as one of those moody erotic films that come along about once a while is this latest from actress turned writer-director Halina Reijn (Bodies Bodies Bodies) that has been distributed by darling indie studio, A24.

A box office success by grossing $62.9 million worldwide on a $20 million budget, the film has been a recipient of immense praise, mostly revolving around Nicole Kidman‘s performance and how the narrative dives deep into the complexities of human desire and power dynamics, wrapped in an intense, almost suffocating atmosphere.

But while I will not dispute that Kidman‘s performance and presence carries the entire film, however, I found the experience to be entirely forgettable, particularly as it doesn’t really break any new ground in the genre and the plot is simply thin. Diluted by a muddled screenplay that doesn’t know what it wants to say about gender dynamics or the sexual power play between men and women, the feature has been marketed as an extremely horny film, but it’s mostly unrousing.

Sure, it is not all-bad. It is well-shot and well-paced. But it almost felt like the film was self-conscious and scared to really go the distance and be truly lustful. Film like this one exist to be wish-fulfillment fantasies. They’re meant to be sexy and saucy affairs and make viewers feeling hot and bothered, but here everything is simply tame. With an exception of one or two scenes there is virtually no sparks between the central leads.

Set in New York City, the story follows Romy Mathis (Nicole Kidman), a successful career woman who has seemingly achieved everything: she’s the CEO of a Manhattan robotics company, she’s happily married to a loving husband, Jacob (Antonio Banderas), and has two teenage daughters, Isabel (Esther McGregor) and Nora (Vaughan Reilly). However, unknown to everyone, Romy has one serious lacking in her life: she’s never felt satisfied sexually or been able to explore her needs.

That is until, she meets Samuel (Harris Dickinson), a 25-ish young man, who has just joined her company as one of the interns. Who following a vibe he senses from Romy, subtly starts challenging her boundaries. Forcing Romy to choose between risking everything she has built and her suppressed desires.

Here, director Halina Reijn is clearly interested in examining the taboos of having an extra-marital affair, one where the power dynamics are completely swapped. But the film just drifts along to a strangely implausible non-denouement with impermanent effects.

Mainly as it is quite visible that both are woefully underprepared to continue with this torrid relationship, with Samuel coming across like a sociopath half of the time and Romy feeling guilty every time she has an interaction with him.

We’re meant to find these two compelling. But Romy constantly tells him that he’s young and still learning how things work, which is the point. He’s inexperienced and doesn’t seem to know what a healthy relationship is, but the film never criticizes him in any meaningful way.

There is no revelation where he’s condemned for the way he treated Romy. Particularly, his display of obvious anger management issues. It’s only Romy who bears the brunt of the criticism, which just feels weird and nonsensical. The hottest scene between her and Samuel is their first kiss, where the sense of transgression is at its most palpable.

However, the rest of the much-hyped scenes were quite boring, and simply told, awkward. All leading to a screaming row beside the Christmas tree.

Yes, director Reijn’s drama deserves praise for its lack of cheap moralizing and suggests that even the most reckless affair can bring unforeseen benefits. But it’s too little, too late, and for all its seesawing power struggles, the film’s thrills feel toothless and in far between.

Performance wise, Nicole Kidman deserves nods for leaning hard into her role as the unsatisfied wife who has kept a lid on her darker desires during the course of her marriage. Unfortunately, Harris Dickinson is no match for her. Though he has been a compelling presence in other features, here his character is just the opposite. Lacking the gravitas to suggest that someone like Kidman would be at all interested in him.

In supporting roles, Antonio Banderas is his usual suave and brings the necessary charm to the role, while Sophie Wilde and Esther McGregor are earnest in their limited screen time. On the whole, ‘Babygirl‘ is a tame erotic thriller that possess a stunning Nicole Kidman performance, but is mostly just uncomfortable.