Nicole Kidman in partnership with writer and director Halina Reijn created the movie Babygirl for A24 depicting corporate CEO Romy played by Kidman having an affair with her young intern Samuel played by Harris Dickinson which brings up questions about personal intimacy. Babygirl was released December 25 showcasing Kidman in a daring performance earning recognition with a Venice Volpi Cup win with her work on the project.
'Babygirl' Explores Internal Conflict of Authenticity in a Corporate World Through Romy's Story Arc
The movie explores Romy's upbringing within a free-thinking cult juxtaposed by the modern corporate culture showing a battle for her personal desires she has repressed. She finds herself unable to achieve orgasm with her husband Jacob played by Antonio Banderas. This sets the stage for a sexual relationship with Samuel who offers the possibility of domination creating conflict between normality and true desires for lead character Romy. Halina Reijn expressed to IndieWire she structured the film on the internal struggle of choosing between being acceptable by society vs accepting one's own individual identity with a use of sexuality to provide a lens into societal norms about female sexuality. Halina Reijn also feels sex remains a metaphor showcasing both shame and fascination with the subject in western societies specifically in straight communities.
Halina Reijn's Approach on Intimacy and On-Set Collaboration Through Unique Storytelling Methodology
Halina Reijn from a European tradition and director of Black Book Valkyrie also worked on Bodies Bodies Bodies approaches her work with on set intimacy differently than her counterparts in the states as she does not see a need for on-set intimacy coordinator preferring instead to work out intimate scenes with actors herself. Halina Reijn actually enjoys working with Lizzy Talbot from It Ends with Us and Bridgerton as the on set intimacy coordinator collaborating on the love scenes. Her process aims to explore different sexual power dynamics and fetishistic scenes all the while avoiding any elements of tasteless expression which demands careful choreography. Reijn also takes into account prior negative experiences as an actress to understand what a cast is facing when working in such difficult settings.
Halina Reijn mentioned negative experiences while acting where many men in charge failed to provide support for scenes and as director is very involved and aware of issues actors might be facing while in vulnerable situations. Reijn will often act out sex scenes for her cast for them to witness physically understanding what she envisions before production starts creating an atmosphere of trust within cast and crew. While Luca Guadagnino leaves sets Reijn believes strongly in being involved and in guiding those in her cast and also in having an on set intimacy coordinator to act as a safeguard creating collaborative creative space. Reijn stated if creative people direct it they can create amazing intimacy sequences when done respectfully demonstrating trust for all creative talents while collaborating with them which makes production a safer place.
Director's Personal Experiences Infuse Realism in "Babygirl's" Most Daring Scenes and Themes
Reijn incorporated personal moments into Babygirl's most controversial and arousing sequences. A famous scene showcasing Samuel ordering Romy to drink a glass of milk drew from Reijn’s personal event when a Belgian actor ordered milk while she was in a bar after performing a show . She did state that she also felt very a strong moment of arousal by the offer despite having not spoken to the Belgian actor previously and not having further relations but was important source for character of Romy who enjoyed submission despite holding power over those at her work. Reijn explores in her movie "shocking sex" more about a mind then a body and relies heavily on suggestion and the viewers imagination, and it is clear Romy felt sexual pleasure from suggestion and not simply physicality .
Romy's intense need for physical self-perfection including her routines featuring cryotherapy Botox and light therapy showcase her deep personal desire to remain control and in sync with her views of perfection with the movie attempting to blur the real life routine from star Nicole Kidman with the narrative showcasing her acting capabilities. Halina Reijn wrote Babygirl intending for herself to take the role but was very happy that Nicole Kidman reached out stating she would surrender fully to script including complex emotions for all parts including Antonio Banderas the Dog and Romy. Halina Reijn does consider herself to have many issues concerning self image and also has been getting botox to be viewed more traditionally like Cindy Crawford showing a clear connection with characters in the film. Reijn was happy Nicole wanted no alterations to her screenplay demonstrating both actress courage and trust in directorial skill.
Controversial Themes such as EMDR Treatment Reflect Childhood Traumas and Desire for Perfection in "Babygirl"
Babygirl includes Romy undergoing EMDR therapy which is eye movement desensitization and reprocessing which touches upon her difficult and unique childhood within a spiritual community with some radical hippy style beliefs where her name was chosen for her by a guru. Reijn's personal childhood was similar and used some elements to be shared in a cinematic fashion with a focus on therapy that aims to reduce traumatic effects such as how EMDR processes feelings . This unique childhood helps to understand the need for external forces to tell her who to be or what she should do which translates into her need to please as character.
The character Romy needs various methods of therapy with a need to look “normal” to gain acceptance when she already is an executive leader among many companies showing her ongoing battle. The main purpose for movie and story arc is as warning about seeking perfection while also avoiding true understanding of one self with all flaws intact for acceptance. “ Babygirl” is available now in theaters from A24 with mixed audience feedback and very strong critical acclaim from reviews showing varying perspectives for story which are both strong elements of creative artistic license that should remain with projects such as this film.
Exploring Age-Gap Relationships In ‘Babygirl’: Director Defends The Characters Age Disparity
Halina Reijn has openly discussed how she feels about the age gap of the main characters and says she wants it to normalize the concept of age differences in relationships on the big screen. She emphasized that seeing male characters who have a younger female love interest is standard practice and in response desires normalization for the opposite situation to take place often. Reijn’s comments appeared after W Magazine had interviewed her after film initial release with comments showing Reijn's push for normalizing switching age dynamics in relationships onscreen moving past old male focused traditions.
The recent release of "Babygirl" is similar to the movie "The Idea of You" featuring Anne Hathaway who portrays a character dating a younger musician which provides a modern lens for current views on relationships across varying age gaps within society. While not explicitly stated Romy and Samuel show a strong power dynamic mirroring "50 Shades of Gray" style interactions of Christian Gray's dominant character with a submissive Anastasia Steele where Samuel takes on that dominate role and Romy becomes submissive in certain scenes.
Despite the perceived negative elements of Babygirl’s content Kidman requested no alterations to screenplay showing her appreciation for Halina Reijn’s project. Reijn told W that she is appreciative of Kidman's support as well as courage during what some would perceive as highly unusual cinematic undertaking which she appreciates immensely . Per The Numbers "Babygirl" has gained $7.2 million opening across 2115 domestic theater viewings providing solid box office numbers that are to be observed. Nicole Kidman received awards from the National Board of Review for Best Actress for "Babygirl" and also received a Golden Globe nomination. Babygirl is currently playing nationwide featuring main actors Nicole Kidman Antonio Banderas and Sophie Wilde.