Nicole Kidman in Babygirl @TIFF 2024 &@Venice

It’s funny how when things are much different in this day and age.  Even for this instance in the movie Babygirl we have a woman CEO played by Nicole Kidman who has an extramarital affair with a younger intern of her company played by Harrison Dickinson.  Now the premise of this film would not have taken off if it was an older CEO man who has an extramarital affair with a younger intern who is a female.  It would be considered toxic masculinity and women would be up in arms about the age gap between the two.  Today, affairs like this seem to be more common.  

Nicole Kidman and her husband played by Antonio Banderas seem to live today’s American dream.  It’s where they have a nice spacious condo in New York City along with two lovely children and dream jobs.  Director Helena Reijn from the start of the film shows that they have somewhat a fulfilling sex life but Kidman’s character wants that little more.  It seems that over the years, her husband has failed to please her sexually.  But the question is whether or not she is going to go that extra mile or lose everything that she has just to fulfill herself.

Harrison Dickinson plays Samuel the younger intern intrigued to climb to the top of Kidman’s company and becomes the thorn in Kidman’s side.  After much intrigue and some bantering between the two, Kidman finally submits to his advances when they start hooking up in secret places like hotels.  This is where much of the dominate/submission plays and power leverage are given back and forth.   It is a new honeymoon phase for Kidman as she has this exciting secret affair in her workplace and her family does not even know about it.

But how long does this excitement last when the unexpected begins to happen with Samuel starts to appear at their own home?   The stakes become higher when this happens as the leverage of power appears to shift over to his side rather than hers.  When their affair starts to leak and when people start suspecting things start to spiral for Kidman.

FERNTV loves that director Helena Rein is following in the footsteps of director Adrian Lyne.   She is tackling subjects that are now sexual taboos where modern women have climbed the corporate ladder.  But she does it in the framework of Lyne’s where the sex scenes are very naughty and risqué without having it be too over the top where it drains the film’s energy.  It does make you uncomfortable at first because there is a lack of Lyne-influenced films today which makes this one a little sweeter.  It’s a little renaissance for erotic cinema but where women directors like Helena Reijn get to explore this type of film her way and where she is not misconstrued or misunderstood for her efforts.  

Babygirl is a realistic film where it shows how women’s needs are not being met especially when the white picket fence is being attained and sustained.  We live in a limitless world where there are more options out there to attain anything you want in life especially when it comes to sex.   Babygirl does give off that in today’s world people are lenient when we break values or trust or cross boundaries because we do have these options.  But sometimes people do not forgive too easily.    

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