I went into Babygirl simply knowing that it was an A24 film classified as an erotic thriller. No trailers or online clips were watched beforehand to clue me in to what I was about to watch.
But I know I love a thriller. And A24.
Babygirl, written and directed by Halina Reijn, did its circuit around the film festivals before its theatrical release. Nicole Kidman even picked up some awards along the way.
The film follows Romy (Nicole Kidman), who is the CEO of a major tech company, wife and mother. She puts both her family and career on the line when she falls into the arms of a much younger intern.
And usually, films go beyond their synopsis. Babygirl does not.
The film starts with Romy having unfulfilling sex with her husband (Antonio Banderas). She slinks out of bed and only climaxes after watching dom/sub porn.
So she has her kinks, who doesn’t.
At work, she keeps bumping into the attractive young intern Samuel (Harris Dickinson). After he kisses her at work, the two spiral into a hesitant and chaotic relationship.
The film definitely ticks the ‘erotic’ box. We are in the front-row seat as Romy and Samuel’s sexual relationship develops. Samuel sees and understands Romy’s desires, easily sliding into the dominant role. Romy is more hesitant, struggling to shed the CEO skin despite her carnal need to submit to him.
Their scenes together are intimate, yet awkward as they fumble around the power imbalance. Kidman and Dickinson’s performances are commendable, creating an unfiltered, raw presenation of the sexual experience. They break into laughter at the absurdity of their actions and share moments of embarrassment and playfulness. They truly carry the film and the whole time I was thinking they must’ve had a damn good intimacy coach.
My problem with the film was that not much else happens. We’re aware that Samuel holds the power. With one phone call he could end her entire career and destroy her family. But there isn’t a single moment where we feel he might actually do so. He doesn’t have a backstory, or much motivation towards ruining her. He’s simply a tool of her desire.
I hoped that meant we would delve deeper into Romy’s psyche. Understand how her own desire could be her downfall. How her past, only alluded to with a few throwaway comments, could play into why she feels the way she does. But we only get the faintest of glimpses at her internal workings. The few abstract scenes of her beauty rituals and therapy seemed as if they would lead somewhere, but ultimately go nowhere.
Now, not everything needs to be handed to an audience on a silver platter. You could unpack the film as an exploration of female desire and shame. You could reflect on the gender dynamics in both sex and the workplace. But it didn’t feel like the film wanted to do any of that.
Even as things finally get out of control and we reach the films climax nothing serious actually happens. It’s superficial, almost comical.
The film was surprisingly tame, too self-conscious to really go anywhere, and definitely didn’t reach ‘thriller’ territory for me. I kept hoping for some absurd plot twist to revive the story, but sadly all we got were more sex scenes. Kidman’s stellar performance brought some life to the lacklustre script but couldn’t make up for the lack of plot.
But hey, if you’ve ever wondered what it would look like if A24 made Fifty Shades of Grey, this might be the movie for you.

Year: 2024
Age Rating: R
Running Time: 115 MIN
Genre: Erotic Thriller
Director: Halina Reijn
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Harris Dickinson, Sophie Wilde, Antonio Banderas
Production Studio: Man Up Films
Distributor: A24