Movie Review: Babygirl

Throughout film history there has been no shortage of stories featuring men behaving badly, particularly in the erotic thrillers of the 80s and 90s. The desire to flip the script is a large part of what inspired writer and director Halina Reijn to make Babygirl, and their influence is felt in nearly every scene of this stylish and thought-provoking movie.

Romy Mathis (Nicole Kidman) is the CEO of a company that makes automated systems for e-commerce companies and has been quite successful doing so. Her life seems idyllic at first glance, with her high-powered job, attractive husband Jacob (Antonio Banderas), healthy daughters Isabel (Esther McGregor) and Nora (Vaughan Reilly), and two beautiful homes, but she is hiding a deep dissatisfaction with her love life and it is beginning to take a toll on her.

She is surprised to learn that her company has signed her up as a part of the intern mentorship program and gets assigned to Samuel (Harris Dickinson), who she had previously witnessed calming a wild dog on the street and whose cocksure demeanor she finds intriguing. He picks up on her interest in him as well as the more illicit desires she’s kept bottled inside and begins an unusual seduction that succeeds in drawing her in, launching the pair on an affair that could put everything Romy has built for herself in jeopardy.

The movie is interesting in the ways it upends our expectations of the genre, with Dickinson instead portraying the “femme fatale” and Kidman in the role usually reserved for men, but the script never delves too deeply into that aspect. The duo are both excellent in their roles, with the former sometimes recalling a young Christopher Walken and the latter giving one of the most raw and fearless performances of her career, baring her both her body and soul on the screen.

On a technical level, Babygirl is nearly flawless. Cristobal Tapia de Veer brings the same catchy but off-kilter sensibilities he used in HBO’s The White Lotus to the score, heightening the overall mood, and cinematographer Jasper Wolf perfectly frames every shot, with some especially impressive work in a nightclub scene. But a plethora of seemingly important details that never amount to anything, a slightly laggy midsection, and some odd character choices, most notably involving the somewhat too tidy resolution, keep the movie from greatness. The pain, shame, relief, and satisfaction Romy experiences exploring the kinkier side of herself feel visceral and real, and the ideas put forth should spur plenty of discussion, but the story feels like it could have used a little bit more refinement. ★★★