TIFF Review: ‘Babygirl’ Features a Superb Nicole Kidman in Its Examination of Power Dynamics

Power is a complicated thing. Those who have it often want to do whatever they can to hold on to it, which may include actions that would get those without power in considerable trouble. But being in control all the time isn’t for everyone, and sometimes there needs to be a different dynamic to help them feel balanced and fulfilled. Babygirl navigates the delicate line between desire and morality in its depiction of a woman who has everything she could want but not something critical that she needs.

Romy (Nicole Kidman) is the CEO of a company that, if it existed in real life, would surely be Amazon’s top competitor. She has a loving husband (Antonio Banderas) and two children. But, despite her seemingly healthy sex life, she can’t achieve an orgasm without indulging in darker fantasies than she feels comfortable communicating with her husband of nearly two decades. When she meets a new intern, Samuel (Harris Dickinson), something sparks immediately between them, leading to a passionate affair defined by his exerting dominance over her, flipping their professional roles in a way that excites them both.

This serves as the follow-up for director Halina Reijn to Bodies Bodies Bodies, shrinking its ensemble and upping the maturity level. This erotic thriller doesn’t waste time in establishing who Romy is and what she seems to need, and Samuel quickly catches on when he requests her as his mentor for a program she didn’t realize she was registered for as a participant. Their first meeting should last just ten minutes and serve as a brief introduction, and instead it’s a confirmation for Samuel that what he’s picked up on from the head of his company isn’t just in his head.

Dating in the workplace can quickly escalate and become problematic without such a significant distance between roles, and there’s definitely a sense that this going to blow up in both their faces, impacting Romy far more because she’s the one with everything to lose. When Samuel shows up to the house with a computer he’s allegedly been tasked to drop off, Romy panics because she realizes the risk of them being caught. When he asks her about it, however, he indicates that perhaps, not rationally, the idea of that scenario is actually somewhat enticing to her since it could play into the fantasies she’s long repressed.

Kidman stuns in most performances she delivers, and this one is no exception. She’s incredibly watchable as she muses about whether this is all a good idea, and when she can’t contain the feelings she has for this young man with the potential to ruin everything for her. Opposite her, Dickinson, a rising star from Triangle of Sadness and The Iron Claw, is harder to read, sometimes seeming uncertain about how he can fulfill what she needs and at others fiercely aware that he’s really the one with all the control. Banderas, in his limited scenes, proves memorable in an unusual supporting role that makes good use of his talents.

Erotic thrillers have a particular audience, and this one will likely cast a wider net because of Kidman’s star power and A24’s involvement as its distributor. It doesn’t break new ground or discover something previously unseen in cinema, but it’s a well-constructed film that digs into the nature of attraction and relationships, extracting some surprising conclusions. Even if those don’t win over all audiences, there’s an entertainment value to this highly sexual film that should delight – and potentially embarrass – most. It doesn’t hold back on its content but also doesn’t feel any more gratuitous than the behavior in which its characters are engaging for their own pleasure.

Movie Rating: 7/10

Awards Buzz: Kidman should always be kept in the conversation, and it will really just depend on how much audiences want to reward a film like this and how much A24 pushes it during awards season.