Babygirl

Babygirl is the strongest of the recent wave of 2024 films about older women entangled with younger men. Like The Idea of You and A Family Affair (which also stars Nicole Kidman), it’s anchored by a compelling lead performance that sells the premise. But what sets Babygirl apart is that, while the others lean into charm and chemistry, this one is more interested in a deeper exploration of female desire. It takes a more serious route, with a darker, thornier tone, and it’s about power plays, emotional cracks, and the cost of chasing desire.

Halina Reijn, following the clever chaos of Bodies Bodies Bodies, takes a more restrained and layered approach here. She draws from the erotic thriller playbook, lingering glances, tension-filled spaces, moments that blur the line between awkward and seductive, but opts for mood over shock. Instead of explicit scenes, she builds tension through power dynamics: Romy being ordered to drink a full glass of milk in a restaurant, standing silently in a corner, or being seduced to George Michael’s “Father Figure.” Reijn’s intent to modernize the genre through a female lens is compelling, and she shows a strong sense of control, especially in how she uses the score. But not everything fully comes together. The final act doesn’t follow through on the tension it builds, ending on a disappointingly timid note.

Not timid at all is Nicole Kidman. Her Romy blends traces of past performances, from The Beguiled to Big Little Lies, into something sharp yet fragile. She’s once again playing a composed, high-status woman with cracks just beneath the surface, and she does it effortlessly. But while she holds the film together, Harris Dickinson doesn’t quite rise to the occasion as Samuel. He’s convincing as an object of desire on paper, but lacks the presence to make the relationship feel dangerous or consuming. You never fully believe he’s the one to shake Romy’s carefully built life, or that he isn’t bluffing during the blackmail. His line delivery is also often mumbled, which becomes distracting. Someone with more raw charisma, like his The Iron Claw co-stars Zac Efron or Jeremy Allen White, might’ve made the dynamic more believable and given Romy’s attraction a stronger pull.

After a strong start, the film dips in the middle, caught in repetitive scenes that don’t deepen Romy’s internal conflict, especially when it should be escalating tension with her husband. Antonio Banderas is well cast (and it’s smart that he’s a good-looking man), but the role is too thinly written for their dynamic to have much weight. That may be intentional, keeping the focus tightly on Romy’s experience, but without any real catharsis, it all ends up feeling too inconsequential. Babygirl didn’t need to match the wild highs of Basic Instinct or Fatal Attraction, but a more conclusive and daring third act would’ve done better justice to its sharp individual moments, and to Kidman’s standout performance.

At a glance

3/5

Worth your time

Where to watch

Prime Video🎟️Buy or rent

Trailer

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