The issue with Babygirl is that it’s been labelled an erotic thriller, which might lead audience members to go into the film with not quite the right expectations. I’ll say that while there are erotic elements, the thrills aren’t quite there. It’s more of an edgy romantic drama that explores the idea of sex and intimacy in relationships.
From the outside, Romy Mathis (Nicole Kidman) appears to have everything a person could conventionally want in life: a devoted husband, a high-flying job, the perfect house and family. However, the reality isn’t as rosy-hued, as Romy can’t be honest with her husband Jacob (Antonio Banderas) about her sexual needs. Then a sexy, young intern shows up – Harris Dickinson’s Samuel – who can intuit her feelings and desires. Together, they explore their desires and forge a pseudo romantic relationship with each other.
Once again, the label of erotic thriller would hamper the movie, because the intimate scenes are sort of awkward. However, that leans true to real life, where sex isn’t some choreographed dance move that both individuals immediately know and execute to perfection. Romy and Samuel circle each other uneasily, as they navigate the power dynamic of their professional and personal relationships. Dickinson is decent as the enigmatic Samuel, but the screenplay isn’t very interested in developing his character. Besides a couple of vulnerable moments, Dickinson is mostly tasked with being the assertive dom to Kidman’s sub. He executes the role perfectly, I wish we got more from that character and his intentions.
Babygirl is really Kidman’s movie. She is incredible – so bold yet vulnerable, and makes us feel for Romy despite the moral flaws of the character. We can understand her despair when she’s forced to perform in bed for her husband because she can’t properly confess what she truly wants. We’ve privy to Romy’s attempts to try and rid herself of her ‘weird’ desires through her therapy, so what we’re witnessing here is a woman desperately wanting to be happy because she should be, but still feeling empty anyway.
It does feel that quite a bit of this film was left on the editing floor, especially towards the end of the film when we’re rushing towards the conclusion. Babygirl suffers from third act issues – the film basically lacks direction after Romy and Samuel got together. Banderas is great in this limited role, but because his character is so underdeveloped, this makes the third act even weaker as a result.
The cinematography is mostly perfunctory – the office scenes are underutilised and don’t do much in setting up Romy’s CEO status. The timeline is also a little unclear, given that it’s just the Christmas season throughout but it feels like quite a bit of time has passed. The rave scene is fantastic though – the most memorable visual moment in the entire film – and that Father Figure needle drop moment is utterly mesmerising. Cristobal Tapia de Veer’s sound design is magnificent and helps in building the hazy, erotic atmosphere of the film; it’s a shame the film’s soundscape has been so overlooked this awards season.
Babygirl is Kidman’s best performance since Big Little Lies. Unfortunately, the film itself is a bit too uneven to land anywhere but the middle.
REVIEW SCORE: 3.5/5
