Another Take: Babygirl
Nicole Kidman plays a complex woman with the capacity for lust in this exploration of female sexuality unfiltered by judgment and restraint.
Erotic thrillers are one of the few genres that explore women's sexuality but often fall short in their explorations of female virility. While male characters are portrayed as capable of compartmentalizing their personal and professional lives and encouraged to be uninhibited, women are often forgotten as multidimensional individuals who distribute their ambitions in similar ways.
"Baby Girl" isn't a story of a simplistic woman who is the moral fiber responsible for righteous decision-making. Instead, it's an exploration of female sexuality unfiltered by judgment and restraint and offers a complex female lead with the capacity to lust and lose herself to desire while also maintaining her family life.
Romy (Nicole Kidman) is a nurturing mother, wife, and thriving CEO with stylish outfits and real estate. She has no intention of diverting from a tightly routine lifestyle as she knows it. Although her marriage to Jacob (Antonio Banderas) is good, she fantasizes about more. When Samuel (Harris Dickinson), a young intern, arrives at her company, nothing suggests the two would entertain anything more than a passing conversation except for fragments of magnetism in their occasional exchanges. With few words and a flush of chemistry, they begin their journey together, engaging their desires and playing with the exchange of power. As the plot unfolds, the consequences of their decisions threaten the safety net that holds everything in her life together.
Kidman (“Eyes Wide Shut,” “Mulan Rouge”) carries Romy with refreshing vulnerability rarely seen in ambitious female characters. Her performance is authentic and liberating, creating incredible on-screen chemistry with Dickinson.
Dickinson ("Triangle of Sadness,” "Where The Crawdads Sing"), an excellent casting choice, executes a gripping portrait of a Gen Z lover boy. His performance is subtle and nuanced yet delivers complex emotions in confrontational scenes. Endearing and sexually provocative are not terms you typically mix, yet he efficiently channels both in his moments with Kidman.
Writer and Director Halina Reijn delivers a rare character in Romy who isn’t forced to justify her choices nor confuses self-exploration with personal ambition. She is incredibly realistic and transparent, which is why she is so fascinating. Reijn introduces exposition with methods that avoid overwhelming or patronizing the audience. Instead, her story temps viewers to participate in small bites of seduction and dominance, pitching between consent and power, neatly tucking conflict into the unspoken cracks.
“Baby Girl” is exceptional in its contribution to erotic thrillers and moves the needle toward women who are capable, confident, and authentic. Female characters rarely get the opportunity to "opt-in" to significant choices about their sexual experiences; the problem with this precedent is when women are not shown as exercising the full capacity of their lives and, even worse, portrayed as routinely making the right decisions when faced with choices, it forces an unattainable expectation that women don't fuck up; that women can't fuck up; that women don't possess the confidence to act on impulse; that women should always prioritize their children above their own pleasures; that women must choose their husband's interests above their own desires no matter what. Perhaps the world is less forgiving of women's infidelity than of men's; heavy expectations and unrealistic burdens for female characters to shoulder.
The film also proves that men don’t own the business of infidelity and sexual liberation in movies. Romy is a capable individual who isn’t forced or manipulated into releasing her insecurities or feeling guilty about them. Why can’t she bang an intern without backlash? Can’t she have affairs that scare the shit out of her too? Women deserve the chance to act on their curiosities as well as their male counterparts.
Sexually charged and uninhibited, "Baby Girl" isn't a movie for everyone. But the film offers gratifying treats for those more comfortable playing with the boundaries of desire.