Unruly desire, and acceptance

A dark thriller about uncontrollable desire, ‘Babygirl’ follows a sexually repressed CEO who finds release through a torrid affair with an intern. Director Halina Reijn’s second English-language feature, after 2022’s ‘Bodies Bodies Bodies’, follows the erotic-thriller format but it is much more than that. Nicole Kidman plays Romy Mathis, CEO of a New York company. She has two teenage daughters, Isabel (Esther McGregor) and Nora (Vaughan Reilly), and a successful theatre-director husband, Jacob (Antonio Banderas).

Her sex life with her husband is adequate but not exactly gratifying. This we realise when we see her trying to satisfy herself soon after the two make love. Later, we are privy to a conversation where she tells him that he never gave her an orgasm.

Romy is not the typically uptight woman. She treats her staff well and is open to having a conversation about their needs anytime. Romy is caught off-guard when Samuel (Harris Dickinson), a fresh recruit in the intern programme, enters her life. He is not offensive but direct in his comments about her. Subsequent encounters with Samuel assure us that he is not intimidated by her position or her age. He is quick to inform her that he’s chosen to partner her in the mentor programme. Despite her busy schedule, Romy shows up for their 10-minute meeting.

‘Babygirl’ is also about control. Who is in control in a sexual encounter? We see that Samuel wrests control quite early in the movie. He is direct when he confronts her about her desires. He points out that she loves to be dominated and Romy, acknowledging the truth about herself, feels all at sea. She is hesitant but not unwilling to explore the extent to where she can go with this desire.

Eventually, the clandestine relationship threatens what’s dearest to Romy. That’s when she divulges a bit about her dark, deprived childhood. We get to see a glimpse into her makeup but that’s not important. Romy’s unruly desire is what the film focuses on. Her unapologetic acceptance of it is what the film aims to project.

The music by Cristobal Tapia de Veer includes George Michael’s ‘Father Figure,’ Robyn’s ‘Dancing on My Own’ and INXS’ ‘Never Tear Us Apart’, which creates the right mood for what transpires between Samuel and Romy.

The key issue here is about a woman coming to terms with her desire and that’s the real triumph of this movie. There’s no shame in plain acceptance and with that comes power.

The script is written in such a way as to eschew moral codes and any judgement thereof. Rejin wants to deepen the understanding of a woman coming to terms with her desires, and that she does admirably.