Halina Reijn’s Babygirl, starring Nicole Kidman, Harris Dickinson, Antonio Banderas, and Sophie Wilde, had its world premiere at the 81st Venice International Film Festival. The film received a 7-minute ovation and garnered outstanding reviews from the audience.
According to Variety review, “‘Babygirl‘ takes a few turns we don’t expect—but that’s because the movie’s ambition isn’t just to feed the thriller engine. It’s to capture something genuine about women’s erotic experience in the age of control.”
The film debuted with 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. It follows a CEO (Kidman) who begins an illicit affair with her much younger intern (Dickinson).
In a statement, Reijn said, “All of us carry a little black box filled with taboo fantasies that we might never share with anyone. I am fascinated by the duality of human nature, and this film is an attempt to shine a light, without judgment, on the opposing forces that make up our personalities. To me, feminism is the freedom to study a woman’s vulnerability, love, shame, rage, and inner beast. Growing older means facing the endlessness of everything. During midlife, we can no longer hide and must face our inner demons; the more we suppress our shadow, the more dangerous and disruptive our behavior can become.”
She continued, “The affair at the heart of Babygirl allows Romy and Samuel to play out their confusion around power, gender, age, hierarchy, and primal instinct. Despite its forbidden nature, the joy of that exploration is liberating, even healing.”
An erotic thriller. A career woman in her 40s has an affair with a 21-year-old intern. Romy has a beautiful family (including her loving husband Jacob) and a thriving business – she is adored (and sometimes feared) by all. But when empathetic young intern Samuel (Dickinson) comes to work at her company, Romy’s outward facade of perfection is about to implode.
The film is produced by Halina Reijn and David Hinojosa, with production companies A24 and 2AM.
Babygirl is scheduled to hit theaters in the United States on December 20, 2024, by A24.
