Halina Reijn’s Babygirl was a HOT ticket when it came to TIFF back in September yet I didn’t have much interest in seeing Babygirl simply because it felt like a recycled idea. Another 21st century story of cheating that seemed like award season bait.

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But after hearing of the powerhouse performance of Kidman, I found myself giddy to check this one out all of a sudden. So as the lights went down in the theatre on a Wednesday morning at 10am, I thought I was prepared for what was to come but boy oh boy, did I have my expectations blown completely away as Babygirl shatters stereotypes and stigmas surrounding sex and what it is to be a woman in power while delivering two of my favourite performances of the year.

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Starring Nicole Kidman as Romi Mathis, the female CEO of a blossoming New York City automation company who begins a torrid affair with one of her interns, Babygirl starts off hot and heavy right from the first frame and doesn’t ease up, exploring desire and power dynamics in both the workplace and world. Kidman is nothing short of fantastic in this role, as she once again steps out of her comfort zone by utilizing her beauty, body and age, all as attributes to help mold and wield her character's motives and tics.

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Kidman never ceases to amaze me, and even at age 57, although there may have been some nerves and anxiety about doing a film with such a racy subject matter, Kidman brings her A-Game.

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I recently watched an interview Nicole had with W Magazine on YouTube, and what I found fascinating was hearing her speak about the idea of Self Sabotage - which really spoke to me and came through in crashing fashion for me as a viewer. Kidman meticulously develops this character of Romi act by act, utilizing Reijn’s script and direction, which screams a showcase of Imposter Syndrome along with a side of self sabotage. Because of this, Babygirl doesn’t just feel like a rehash of every cliche film about cheating and infidelity. It becomes a psych eval of a woman on the brink of a nervous breakdown, trying to find a means of escaping even though she really seems to have it all. The Job, The Husband, The Family, The Money, The Life.

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So why does someone self-destruct in such fashion?

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Director Halina Reijn’s script really is masterful at deep diving into the female psyche. It doesn’t shy at the fact that Romi clearly struggles with some sort of unfulfilled sexual urge - something that becomes VERY clear in the first 3 minutes of the film. But the sex doesn’t overpower the story right from the first act, instead choosing to develop our relationship with Romi and her family, along with her job. Reijn takes her time to help us believe that Kidman’s Romi is strategic and calculated at work while calm and caring at home - an almost Jekyll and Hyde like division between ‘Church and State’. Again, Kidman’s performance really elevates the script by driving home a sense of humanity and kindness before we watch her become a totally different person. But again, it begs the question - why is this woman sabotaging her life?

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Ladies, when you watch Babygirl this Holiday season, no matter what your age, you will understand why Romi (Kidman) is willing to give in to temptation to Harrison Dickson’s character of Samuel. Folks even I can say this is a handsome man destined to be a Hollywood Heartthrob. Dickson’s Samuel oozes both swagger and charm, which instantaneously catches the attention of his high powered boss. And as he notices the power he possesses over his ‘mentor’, so begins a game of cat and mouse that never feels boring, repetitive or conventional.​

 

Dickson and Kidman possess enough chemistry to blow up a meth lab, which makes it easy and believable to watch these two ravage each other, and thanks to some calculated decisions both story wise and camera wise, the scenes in which their is a lot of nudity, sex and roleplay never feels tacky - a testament to writer/director Halina.