“Babygirl” Thrills but Unfulfills

Babygirl (Halina Reijn, 2024) 3 out of 5 stars

Babygirl is anything but a love story. It centers on Romy Mathis (Nicole Kidman, The Northman), the powerful CEO of a major robotics company, who becomes entangled in a web of infidelity and power dynamics when she begins a submissive relationship with Samuel (Harris Dickinson, The Iron Claw), a low-ranking intern who then holds the power to destroy her career, her family, and her very sense of self. From Bodies Bodies Bodies director Halina Reijn, this story explores the difference of need and want, while delving into how power dynamics and gender interact and often contradict each other. But while it crafts a luridly entertaining narrative, it unfortunately fizzles out almost as quickly as it begins.

Wrapped in snowy city landscapes and red and green lights, Babygirl’s most compelling quality is its tone. The mood can often feel more seductive than the actual sex scenes. With its thoughtful and cohesive production design and cinematography, it creates the perfect atmosphere of light and dark, visually contrasting ideas of desires, wealth, family, and isolation in a way that communicates a singular perspective about how this film is supposed to feel.

Kidman’s intrepid performance is also a huge part of the unique tone. Romy may project confidence, but underneath, there’s a clear sense of hesitation, and Kidman dives into this complexity with no holds barred. As Samuel, Dickinson is cool, collected, and commands equal attention whenever he’s on screen. What makes their dynamic so compelling is that they’re both led by their emotions, leaving you constantly guessing what they will do next. However, that can also make Samuel, in particular, come off as more of a plot device than a fully fleshed-out character, lacking clear motivation or backstory.

Antonio Banderas (Official Competition), as Romy’s husband, Jacob, is a welcome standout, operating on a different plane than any of the other characters until he unravels. His character, however, shows the shortcomings in the coolness of the tone. Between the seedy hotel rooms and cozy vacation homes, the central characters display a boldness and desperation, whether sexually or not, that creates moments where you might gasp or chuckle nervously. But it feels less explicitly erotic than the aesthetics would suggest, as though it’s uncertain whether it wants to play into its trashiness more.

This is most evident in the blowout ending, where it feels like something thrilling and monumental might happen, which ultimately doesn’t. It then leads itself out with a conclusion that seems overly neat. And although the middle does a fine job at developing its ideas about repression and women’s pleasure, it is unclear what it’s trying to say about all of its other elements. In fact, despite the gravity with which its final moments are given, the resolution feels somewhat reductive and unrelated to the buildup before. Still, while the ending is underwhelming and renders the movie somewhat forgettable, there is one thing that you will definitely take with you, and that is that anyone can be “babygirl.”

Hannah Tran

Hannah Tran is a filmmaker, writer, and friendly neighborhood barista from Las Vegas. She graduated from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in Film and English and is currently working on her first feature film. In her spare time, she can be found attending film festivals, running a local book club, and, of course, devouring as many movies as possible.