- Date of Release: 25 December 2024
- Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
- Language: English
Babygirl
Introduction
Babygirl opens with a rampant sexual activity between its two leads followed by an extended orgasm from Romy (Nicole Kidman). It is only in the next few reels of the film do you know that her orgasm was fake, simply because she hasn’t been able to reach the ‘hilt’ with her husband Jacob (Antonio Banderas). Romy is the CEO of a robotic process automation company and lives in a duplex with her husband and two daughters – yet, the one thing that she lacks in her life is satisfaction. Therefore it hardly comes as a surprise that she is taken aback by the audacity of one of her interns, Samuel (Harris Dickinson, no puns intended with his name….but oh well) who is known to challenge her thoughts and fantacies at regular junctures in the drama. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that Babygirl is a distant cousin of 50 Shades Of Grey, another film that evokes the kinks of an individual, although in a rather torrid manner. In that regard, the female gaze of Director Halina Reijn is commendable, centering its protagonist that is often left unsatisfied during her sexual activities, and is reluctantly willing to explore the fancies of her kink through her new found object of desire, Samuel. The issue though is that the POV never changes, thereby making this a rather bland affair.
Story & Screenplay
One look at Babygirl, and you can make out that this is a character-driven plot. This basically means that the camera never leaves the side of Romy while being content in her daily chores and routines, both at her work place and her home. Even her first brush with Samuel was on the streets, wherein the latter managed to save her from the dogs, only later to force a bond with her in a work environment. At the surface, Romy comes across as a confused individual, often torn between the realms of her morality and her want to satisfy her urges. This, ensures a complex relationship with Samuel who almost commands authority (remember Romy is the CEO in reality), even as Romy begs and pleas, only to surrender to his wants, something that plays out at multiple junctures in the screenplay. This also ensures that Romy has a character arc to play with, and a near payoff at the end that truly defines her character. The issue is everything in between, that forms the core of the film.
One of the many loose ends of the drama remains its characterization. After a point, you do feel a staleness creeping in because the writing basically goes around in circles. This had much to do with the fixed POV that the writing had to offer with respect to Romy. By positioning it as an ‘erotic thriller’, the twisted approach of Samuel was the missing link. Samuel remained a mysterious character to the extent that his inclusion could not just have been a coincidence. The need of the hour was to switch the POV and acquaint the viewers with the psyche of Samuel, along with his hidden motivation that would probably ensure the downfall of Romy. His persistence was fine but it continued to remain a mystery with regards to his intentions, a string that remained unattached.
The non-existent character sketch of Samuel, and also to an extent Jacob, did hamper with the twisted nature of the narrative, to the point that the writing never pushed boundaries in any way. It remained consistently mid only to nose-dive towards the end. The twisted narrative with respect to Samuel never really felt threatening, although the perspective of Romy was still justified in wanting to explore the boundaries of her desires. The writing is quite one-dimensional and surprisingly wishes to play a safe bet by only focusing on Romy and her weird fetishes that play out at the command of Samuel. The conflict of Romy’s family being involved seemed so half-baked that it severely stalled the impact of the drama at a psychological level.
At one point, the drama seemed to unfold like Murder (2003) (itself a copy of Unfaithful(2002)) but the motivation of the antagonist there was laid out, while here it was non-existential. Even a simple emotion of obsession was not explored, even as the drama chickened towards a safe ending. That said, the arc of Romy was nicely conjoined at the end, almost giving her a perspective in her professional life wherein she chose to be assertive, while always helping her find a way to satisfy her urges in bed with her husband. It almost fit in perfectly at the end, but I really wish that the core wasn’t all vanilla but willing to push the boundaries of erotica with its twisted nature (like Samuel could have been Romy’s own son for instance from her ex-flame willing to get back at her). The screenplay plays out in a safe manner that eventually leads to its downfall.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are sensual and you can sense a searing sense of sexual tension between its characters in many scenes, just through its images or the lines. The BGM is trippy which kind of felt out of place given that the writing did not intend to be brave enough, thereby wishing to dilute the overall impact even as the trippy musical notes intend to convey the theory that the drama is twisted. The cinematography beautifully captures the sizzling chemistry between its leads, that results in some beautifully captured intimate moments with the right amounts of sensuality. The editing is a little abrupt at a few junctures, but decent overall. Director Halina Reijn adds credibility to the drama for unfolding it through the female gaze, that doesn’t result in forceful or violent sexual activities between its characters. It is still intense but laced with sensitivity. Having said that, she stumbles in extracting a twisted streak with respect to the characterization of some of the other characters, that severely impacted the drama in a big manner. Her reluctance to switch POVs was evident that ended up flattening out the drama to a point of no return.
Performances
The performances are pretty good here although all characters other than Romy are heavily one-dimensional. Antonio Banderas as Jacob has a solid screen presence and an affable vibe, and he does a good job in his limited capacity. Harris Dickinson as Samuel was an interesting character on paper but someone who did not translate as well onscreen, even though he made for an intriguing personality. Nicole Kidman as Romy remains the soul of the film desperately trying to make the proceedings work through her immensely towering act. She emotes beautifully while delivering a measured act filled with a range of complex emotions that highlight her vulnerability. She was a treat to watch even as the film became a slog after a point.
Conclusion
Babygirl is a pale representation of kink and desires coupled with a bland narrative that fails to impress, mainly because the writing plays it safe and never wishes to switch POVs. This drama remains a disappointing affair.
