Babygirl is a 2024 American erotic drama written and directed by Halina Reijn. The film stars Nicole Kidman as Romy Mathis and Antonio Banderas as her husband, Jacob Mathis. It was released in theaters on December 25, 2024.
The plot focuses on Romy Mathis, the CEO of a robotic process automation company in New York City, who feels unhappy in her sex life with her husband, Jacob, a theater director. One morning on her way to work, she encounters a young man named Samuel, who turns out to be an intern at her company. He chooses Romy to be his mentor. During one of their meetings, a kiss spurs into a secret affair marked by characteristics of dominance and submission, with Samuel taking the dominant role.
The story doesn’t break any new ground when it comes to exploring the sexuality of women in Nicole Kidman’s age group. The concept feels elementary and unoriginal, a predictable narrative about a powerful older woman cheating on her husband with a much younger man. It’s a storyline we’ve seen countless times in films like Fatal Attraction, Unfaithful, Fifty Shades of Grey, and others.
While the specific dynamic between Romy and Samuel, particularly the dominance and submission aspect, is less commonly portrayed, it still echoes familiar themes. Unfortunately, the film fails to develop its characters or storyline in a meaningful way. Nicole Kidman’s performance aside, the dialogue between her and the men in her life falls flat. There’s a noticeable lack of chemistry between Romy and both her husband and her lover.
Ultimately, the script lacks depth and leans too heavily on melodrama and tired tropes, rather than offering a fresh or insightful perspective on female desire or empowerment.
Moreover, the supposedly provocative or intense scenes come across as forced and unconvincing, causing the film’s attempts at emotional resonance to fall flat. The pacing is another major issue, the story drags with repetitive dialogue and unnecessary subplots that add little to the overall narrative. These elements not only disrupt the film’s rhythm but also dilute whatever storyline impact it might have aimed for.
Lastly, if mild erotica and predictable storytelling are your thing, and you’ve got a few hours to kill, Babygirl might just do the trick.
