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‘Babygirl’ Review — Obsession, sex, power, and puppy play
A review of the new erotic drama, in theaters
Back in 2023, a UCLA study reported that nearly half of Gen Z audience members want movies and television to include less sex. They’re increasingly concerned about “plot,” it seems, and they insist that sex isn’t necessary for most plots.
Luckily, Halina Reijn disagrees. Her new film Babygirl is all about sex: sex as power, sex as performance, as transaction, as release. It’s insightful and erotic in equal measure.
Nicole Kidman plays a CEO named Romy. She’s in charge of Tensile, a company that makes robots used in shipping automation; think those robots that whiz around Amazon warehouses picking up products. In other words, she spends her days removing the human element from an entire industry. It’s no wonder she’s desperate for human connection… but when she sleeps with her husband Jacob (Antonio Banderas), she has to go watch porn in the other room to finish herself off.
One day, on the sidewalk outside her company, Romy spots Samuel (Harris Dickinson). He’s calming an angry dog, and a thrill runs through her when she sees…
