What is the Rave over Babygirl?
*Contains spoilers*
Babygirl is not your average erotic film. This film serves a greater purpose than what is shown with the spicy scenes and the notorious milk drinking. Director Halina Reijn, carefully blends female power, submission, and humor with a soundtrack that will take you off guard by its unsettling tones, to make a movie that feels almost horror-like yet honest.
“What if we could learn to love the most shameful, darkest parts of ourselves?” Reijn said in an interview with Vogue Australia about her new film. “I’m so grateful for the conversations that the film is sparking among women everywhere.”
The storyline follows CEO Romy, played by Nicole Kidman, who owns a robotic process automation company in New York City who gets entangled in her own mess as she begins an affair with her much younger intern Samuel, played by Harris Dickinson.
Romy and Samuel stumble upon each other as a dog charges towards Romy. Samuel comes to the rescue by giving the dog a cookie. Later, the two meet formally in Romy’s office building where he is introduced as her intern. What starts as an immediate attraction, grows into a tug-of-war for power. Samuel said to Romy in a one-on-one meeting, “I think you like to be told what to do.” The game begins.
Throughout the film, Romy – although seemingly put together with her prestigious title, luxurious penthouse, and the occasional botox to maintain a fresh look – ultimately falls to the knees of her intern. Her composure, gradually being sold for the price of being controlled, reflects an overall theme of the complexities of being a woman.
Romy takes on an honorable role as a CEO, reflecting the progress women have worked up to. Yet, her secretive affair, and miscommunication with her husband embody the stubbornness of patriarchy. Romy’s true desires were unveiled with her intern reflecting the suppressed needs she felt could not be communicated.
As the affair prolongs, Romy’s aggravation with her husband surges as she realizes she’s kept quiet about what she feels she needs.
* taken from a scene where Romy confesses her affair to her husband:
“I see myself as a strong, smart woman, who is...in control of things, who knows what she’s doing- Who is loving and caring and responsible, and who wants to work on herself. Not some kind of embarrassing-- masochist, or ignorant... weak anti feminist who,” [Romy pauses] He (Samuel) knew how to be- fearless- around me.. And I couldn’t resist that.”
Towards the end of the movie, the director replays an early hotel scene of Romy and Samuel yet, this time, Romy is replaced by a dog. Connecting back to the scene where Samuel gives the dog a cookie, I believe the dog in the film represents control and domination. In the same way a dog serves as a pet, a dog knows nothing more than what their owner tells them to do; mindlessly obeying commands. In this scene Samuel is training a dog to sit, praises the dog, gives a treat – all of which he did to Romy.