Romy Mathis, the CEO of a tech company in New York City, is dissatisfied with her sex life with her theater director husband Jacob. One of her new interns, Samuel, propositions her during a private meeting; she objects, then gives in and kisses him. Initially ambivalent about the incident, the two meet at a hotel room. Romy expresses concern that she may be taking advantage of Samuel due to their power difference, but Samuel explains to her that he is in fact the one with the power, as he could get her fired "with one phone call". The two continue to meet up in multiple rendezvous in which Romy would frequently act as the submissive partner, including role-playing as Samuel's pet dog.
Samuel continues to push boundaries by showing up unexpectedly at her home under the false pretense that he is returning her laptop. Feeling disrespected, Romy lashes out at Samuel, telling him her family is everything to her and to never show up at her home again. The two argue but continue their affair, but soon afterwards Romy is angry at Samuel when he shows up unannounced at her house again, this time accompanying Esme, who works for Romy, to Romy's daughter's birthday party. Esme informs Romy that she knows about their affair and tells Romy what needs to happen in order to prevent Esme from coming forward with what she knows. Unable to handle the stress, Romy tells her husband Jacob that she is dissatisfied with their sex life and has never had an orgasm with him. Later she confesses her affair to Jacob, who tells her to leave the house.
Jacob walks into their country house to find Romy and Samuel there. He confronts Samuel in a fist fight, but Samuel comes to Jacob's aid after Jacob has a panic attack. Samuel leaves, and Romy and Jacob decide to work on their marriage and sex life. They reenact a sex act that occurred in Romy's affair, leading to Romy's first orgasm with Jacob. Samuel takes a new job in Japan.
At work, Romy's subordinate asks if she had anything to do with Samuel leaving, and invites her to his house the following week, when he'll have the place to himself, to talk about it. Disgusted, Romy states firmly that she is not afraid of him and tells him to get out of her office.
It was announced in November 2023 that David Hinojosa of 2AM was going to produce the project alongside Halina Reijn of Man Up Films, with A24 financing the project. Julia Oh, Zach Nutman, and Christine D'Souza Gelb of 2AM served as executive producers.[9] It was later revealed that Julia Oh would take on the producer role, contrary to earlier reports that she would serve as an executive producer.[10] In addition to her role as producer, Halina Reijn directed the film from a screenplay she wrote.[11][12] The project marked Reijn's second English-language feature film, both produced by A24.[13][14]
The film's workplace dynamics were influenced by cinematic elements from Indecent Proposal and Basic Instinct.[15][16] The affair in the film was set in an American workplace because the stricter hierarchy and rules in the U.S. compared to Europe was felt by the filmmaker to make such a relationship feel even more forbidden and taboo.[17]
Reijn added that her interest in exploring women's relationships with their bodies was a key motivator for making this movie.[18][19] She also credited her passion for the erotic thrillers of the 1980s and 1990s, particularly those by directors Paul Verhoeven and Adrian Lyne, as the inspirational driving force behind her decision to make this film.[20][21] Lizzy Talbot was hired as the intimacy coordinator.[22]
The original plan was to make a summer movie; however, it was changed to Christmas due to the impact of the 2023 WGA strike and 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike on the film's schedule.[23][24]
The film features INXS's 1988 single "Never Tear Us Apart". A24 struggled to secure the rights to the track, which Reijn complained about to Kidman, who personally secured the rights within "a couple of days".[34]
Release
Halina Reijn during the presentation of the film at the Venice International Film Festival
In the United States and Canada, Babygirl was released alongside Nosferatu, A Complete Unknown, and The Fire Inside, and is projected to gross around $7 million from 2,115 theaters in its five-day opening weekend.[42] The film made $1.5 million on its first day and then $1.3 on its second.[43]
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 77% of 145 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.0/10. The website's consensus reads: "Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson memorably smolder together in Babygirl, with writer-director Halina Reijn's clinical gaze keeping this sexually frank thriller more provocative than prurient."[44]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 81 out of 100, based on 47 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[45] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B–" on an A+ to F scale, while those surveyed by PostTrak gave it a 67% overall positive score, with 38% saying they would "definitely recommend" it.[43]
Michelle Goldberg of The New York Times observed that "On the cusp of our terrible new era, it felt, for all its darkness and perversity, like an artifact of a more optimistic moment, when equality seemed close enough at hand that the orgasm gap between men and women — something the movie’s director, Halina Reijn, often talks about in interviews — could be a subject of serious concern."[46] Damon Wise of Deadline Hollywood praised the performance of Kidman as "[she] really goes the distance, imbuing Romy with a psychological vulnerability that is missing from the film it most obvious sounds like (Fifty Shades of Grey) and presenting a unique reversal of the film it most obviously looks like (Secretary)." He also mentioned Dickinson's performance as "an inspired piece of casting, manifesting like a monster from the id with his dorky, knife-and-fork haircut and clothes that he appears to have put on with a shovel."[47] Nicholas Barber of the BBC lauded Reijn's gritty, indie-style direction in Babygirl, highlighting how she avoids the usual Hollywood neo-noir gloss, choosing instead to expose the raw, unpolished truth behind moments like the intern's arrival at the family's retreat or the co-worker's discovery of the affair. Barber also praised Kidman for delivering a bold and captivating performance, describing it as one of her most daring and impactful in years.[48]
David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter called out the film as "sexy, dark and unpredictable" and praised the cast performance. He mentioned Dickinson was "a magnetic screen presence", Kidman was "in spectacular form, swinging from outrage to fear to ravenously lustful consent", Wilde brought "sly notes of humor".[49]Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair praised the overall film as "Reijn creates the sense that we are watching test subjects through a two-way mirror. This doesn’t necessarily make the proceedings any less interesting. But one does maybe crave a bit more heat from a movie that is so willing to tackle intimate matters."[50]
In a more critical review, Xan Brooks of The Guardian stated, "for all its excited carnality and seesawing power struggles, the film’s thrills feel machine-tooled and vacuum-packed. Babygirl rolls off the track looking almost as neat and anonymous as a box from Tensile’s upstate delivery warehouse." However, he commended Kidman's "bright, bold performance" as it "carries a top-note of distress, as though she is not entirely convinced by everything she’s signed up for."[51] On the contrary, Owen Gleiberman of Variety praised the overall film as "a shrewdly honest and entertaining movie about a flagrantly 'wrong' sadomasochistic affair" and he termed Kidman's performance "fearless".[52]. He later concluded that Kidman had the best performance by a female actor in 2024.[53]
Robbie Collin of The Telegraph praised the film, noting that it "is sharp enough – and hot enough." He highlighted Nicole Kidman's performance as "ferociously good, convincing utterly as this formerly level-headed careerist whose deeply buried, long-denied appetites are simultaneously proving her making and downfall."[54] Alison Willmore of Vulture described the film as "a self-love story," emphasizing that part of its message is about the importance of allowing oneself to be vulnerable and to "let yourself be small for a while."[55]Glenn Kenny of RogerEbert.com praised Kidman's performance but the film itself did not convince him: "Kidman has garnered kudos for an uninhibited and daring performance, but when has she ever shied away from uninhibited and daring performances? I love to see them always, but I love to see them even more in good movies."[56]Kevin Maher of The Times mentioned that "...like the best BDSM experiences (they say), is slightly contrived but very satisfying."[57]
Radhika Seth of Vogue acknowledged that the film isn't for everyone, dividing critics and even premiere attendees. However, she praised Antonio Banderas, Nicole Kidman, Halina Reijn, and Cristobal Tapia de Veer for their standout contributions to the film.[58] Ben Croll of TheWrap said that despite hints at deeper themes and narratives, the film stands out for its surprising absence of cynicism.[59] Martin Tsai of Collider noted that while the film does elicit some laughs, whether intentional or not, it ultimately feels more demeaning for Nicole Kidman than Dogville. He pointed out that Catherine Breillat had already addressed similar themes more skillfully in Last Summer, and criticized Reijn for lacking the nuance needed to elevate the film into something more meaningful.[60]
Stephanie Zacharek of Time called out that this was one of Kidman's finest performances in a long career of more than 40 years[61], while Carla Meyer of Los Angeles Times considered Kidman's performance was an Oscar's worthy.[62] Concurred with that, Peter Travers of ABC News
mentioned that "Kidman's daring is now the stuff of legend".[63] Nick Schager of The Daily Beast mentioned that the film featured a standout performance from Kidman as a woman on a daring quest for self-discovery and fulfillment, and delivered a bold and entertaining cinematic jolt.[64]Richard Roeper of Chicago Sun-Times praised Banderas's performance as he served as a steady presence, with a standout moment later in the story showcasing his formidable acting prowess.[65]
Accolades
The film appeared on multiple filmmakers, critics and editors' lists of the best films of 2024, including:
^Gleiberman, Owen; Debruge, Peter (December 10, 2024). "The Best Movies of 2024". Variety. Archived from the original on December 10, 2024. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
^Chen, Nick; Greig, James; Pace-McCarrick, Solomon; Sisley, Dominique (December 19, 2024). "The 20 best films of 2024". Dazed. Archived from the original on December 19, 2024. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
^Antrim, Taylor; Hess, Liam; Macabasco, Lisa Wong; Marius, Marley; Schama, Chloe; Seth, Radhika (December 13, 2024). "The Best Movies of 2024". Vogue. Archived from the original on December 13, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
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