BABYGIRL (Halina Reijn 2024)

[Chris Knipp]

NICOLE KIDMAN, HARRIS DICKINSON IN BABYGIRL

HALINA REIJN BABYGIRL (2024)

A shimmering tale of erotic role reversal is a triumph for Halina Reijn and her actors

TRAILER

Halina Reijn's new movie Babygirl, both directed and written by her, presents an erotic thriller in an elaborate corporate setting, also fully filling in the family background, her Manhattan apartment and big rambling country house, her hot theater director husband Jacob (Antonio Banderas) and their two daughters Isabel (Esther McGregor) and Nora (Vaughan Reilly), as well as her ambitious and somewhat frustrated chief assistant Esme (Sophie Wilde). All this is necessary context to appreciate the excitement and the danger of the sexual affair that develops between Romy and a young intern, Samuel (Harris Dickinson). But this would be a great, wonderfully acted, incredibly sexy movie if there was nothing but the affair. The core of this movie is complex and thrilling, funny yet troubling. It's clear in the moment, but leaves you with plenty to ponder afterward, including the germ of many mini essays on women's roles today. Through erotic role reversal, a powerful CEO regains her sex life by being dominated: one's own submission may be the greatest exploit of the powerful. Here, submission is a tool of sexual liberation.

Those sexual-erotic sequences between Kidman and Dickinson sparkle and throb. It's an understatement to talk about chemistry: the whole film is about the interaction which it's clumsy to call a tennis match; it's a trading back and forth of electric charges. The scene is set with the opening where Jacob and Romy have noisy intense sex and Romy leaves him sleeping and sneaks into the next room with her laptop to use porn to finish herself off: she's not getting what she needs from him sexually, not now, anyway.

The theme of dominance is set for Samuel before he even enters the company building, when he subdues a dog run loose by kneeling and coaxing and feeding the rampant canine a cookie. But Samuel is also humorous and playful, and when Romy later meets Samuel and asks him if he gave the dog a cookie he smiles and says, "Why? Do you want one?" He's playful, lighthearted, but hints indirectly she could be his dog too. And by then in fact she already is. Something mysterious and hot flows between them instantly and he senses she wants to be told what to do - even though this illicit relationship is going to put everything at risk for her.

But this isn't some kind of BDSM game, ever, because for one thing Romy is always trying to gain control herself: his dominance is tinged with achingly sweet uncertainty, and his ability to reestablish it over and over shows his youth, his aattractiveness, his boldness. But those hot sequences show it's working.

It's been remarked that Halina Reijn, an actress herself, is brilliant with actors. There's also once-in-a-lifetime casting here for the two principals. Reijn avoids all kinds of clichés here. Samuel and Romy never settle into a familiar game like the slave one of Steven Shainberg's Secretary. The sex is exciting because how the game is to be played - or if it is even a game - shifts from moment to moment. Romy constantly chafes at being ordered around by Samiuel and that makes it seem more exciting each time she gives in.

Nicole Kidman, like Harris Dickinson, is wonderful to look at. Sure, she looks her age in the face, but not: we see her get botox injections. Her body is mannequin-thin perfection but she seems often on the edge of tears. Dickinson is photographed to look rangy and tall, his face laughing and sometimes with a big grin. When he does an erotic dance for her, shirtless, tattooed, whisky in hand, he's a pretty cool cat. But catlike, he flits in and out, invading Romy's family life against her will and getting away with it swimmingly. Subtly Dickinson uses multiple roles he has played before hidden under the sphinxlike grin of Samuel.

Reviewers like to recount the scene at a bar where Romy is in her group of insiders and Samuel apart with fellow interns, buys Romy, in her group of insiders, a tall glass of milk. She acts annoyed, insulted, but then drinks it down in an act of defiant obedience; then walking out he moves close for a moment and murmurs, "Good girl." His acts of a dom role seem improvised, inspired by the moment, flexible. There's a shock element because of the impropriety of his take-over of his boss.

Aside from the wide praise of of Kidman as giving one of her "career best" performances here, Harris Dickinson has surprised and delighted critics. YouTube's Oscar Expert says in his review: "Harris Dickinson is so unexpected here. His character has this ellusiveness, where he is at once this charming, soft boy, and he's also relly aggressive and up front. It's just a joy to watch. He's kind of hilarious." You've got to see it to believe it." I have been preparing for Babygirl by boning up on Harris Dickinson'e performances, which I summarized earlier.. His performances are notable for their variety and aplomb. He has a star's and a model's tall, lean, honed body and a chameleonic actor's range of accents and masks. This is the best showcase he's had yet and he carries it off. For Nicole I prepared only by rewatching a film some friends have said they don't want to watch again: Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut. Comparing the two roles ie an eye-opener. The white-hot intensity Nicole projects over this 25-year period is the measure of how bright Babygirl shines.

Several writers have found Babygirl makes it hard not to think of Kubrick's 1999 final film for its rich, sexual Nicole Kidman and also for its dreamlike, evocative depiction of New York as a backdrop. This is also a way of saying this is one of Nicole's best films; she has the Venice Best Actress award to prove it. IThis curious Chrisitmas Day bon bon is also a big step into the main stage for the talented and interesting Dickinson. This is a movie that stands out and will be remembered from all the rest of 2024's.

Babygirl, 114 mins., debuted at Venice Aug. 24, 2024, where Nicole Kidman received the Best Actress award. It also showed at Toronto, Zurich, and The Contenders (MoMA, NYC). It opens in the US (from A24) Dec. 25, 2024 and rolls out in 15 other countries in Jan. 2025.Metacritic rating: 82%.