Babygirl | |
---|---|
Directed by | Halina Reijn |
Written by | Halina Reijn [1] |
Produced by |
|
Starring | |
Cinematography | Jasper Wolf [2] |
Edited by | Matthew Hannam [3] |
Music by | Cristobal Tapia de Veer [2] |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | A24 |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 114 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Babygirl is a 2024 American erotic thriller film written, directed, and co-produced by Halina Reijn. It stars Nicole Kidman, Harris Dickinson, Sophie Wilde, and Antonio Banderas.
The film debuted on August 30, 2024, at the 81st Venice International Film Festival, where Kidman won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress. [4] Its North American premiere followed at the 49th Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2024, with a U.S. theatrical release by A24 scheduled for December 25, 2024.
This cinematic work explores the complexities of power dynamics and sexuality within a professional setting as a high-ranking CEO (Nicole Kidman) embarks on a forbidden romance with a captivating intern (Harris Dickinson), who is significantly younger. [5] [6]
It was announced in November 2023 that David Hinojosa of 2AM was going to produce the project alongside Halina Reijn of Man Up Films, with A24 financing the project. Julia Oh, Zach Nutman, and Christine D'Souza Gelb of 2AM served as executive producers. [9] It was later revealed that Julie Oh would take on the producer role, contrary to earlier reports that she would serve as an executive producer. [10] In addition to her role as producer, Halina Reijn directed the film from a screenplay she wrote. [11] [12] The project marked Reijn's second English-language feature film, both produced by A24. [13] [14]
The film's workplace dynamics were influenced by cinematic elements from Indecent Proposal and Basic Instinct . [15] [16] The affair in the film was set in an American workplace because the stricter hierarchy and rules in the U.S. compared to Europe was felt by the filmmaker to make such a relationship feel even more forbidden and taboo. [17]
Reijn added that her interest in exploring women's relationships with their bodies was a key motivator for making this movie. [18] [19] She also credited her passion for the erotic thrillers of the 1980s and 1990s, particularly those by directors Paul Verhoeven and Adrian Lyne, as the inspirational driving force behind her decision to make this film. [20] [21]
In November 2023, Nicole Kidman, Harris Dickinson, Antonio Banderas, Sophie Wilde, and Jean Reno were announced as part of the cast. [22] [23] Other cast members included John Cenatiempo, Vaughan Reilly, Victor Slezak, Anoop Desai, and Maxwell Whittington-Cooper. [8] Esther McGregor was reported to star. [24]
Principal photography began in December 2023 in New York City, [25] [26] and wrapped in February 2024. [27]
Babygirl premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on August 30, 2024. [28] [29] [30] Following this, it was also premiered at the 49th Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2024. [31] [3] The film was initially set for a release in the United States and Canada on December 20, 2024, [32] but the date was later shifted to December 25, 2024, for its theatrical debut. [33] [34]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 95% of 43 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.7/10.The website's consensus reads: "Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson memorably smolder together in Babygirl, with writer-director Halina Reijn's clinical gaze keeping this sexually frank thriller more provocative than prurient." [35] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 82 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". [36]
Damon Wise of Deadline praised the performance of Kidman as "[she] really goes the distance, imbuing Romy with a psychological vulnerability that is missing from the film it most obvious sounds like ( Fifty Shades of Grey ) and presenting a unique reversal of the film it most obviously looks like ( Secretary )." He also mentioned Dickinson's performance as "an inspired piece of casting, manifesting like a monster from the id with his dorky, knife-and-fork haircut and clothes that he appears to have put on with a shovel." [37] Nicholas Barber of BBC lauded Reijn's gritty, indie-style direction in Babygirl, highlighting how she avoids the usual Hollywood neo-noir gloss, choosing instead to expose the raw, unpolished truth behind moments like the intern's arrival at the family's retreat or the co-worker's discovery of the affair. Barber also praised Kidman for delivering a bold and captivating performance, describing it as one of her most daring and impactful in years. [38]
David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter called out the film as "sexy, dark and unpredictable" and praised the cast performance. He mentioned Dickinson was "a magnetic screen presence", Kidman was "in spectacular form, swinging from outrage to fear to ravenously lustful consent", Wilde brought "sly notes of humor". [39] Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair praised the overall film as "Reijn creates the sense that we are watching test subjects through a two-way mirror. This doesn’t necessarily make the proceedings any less interesting. But one does maybe crave a bit more heat from a movie that is so willing to tackle intimate matters." [40]
In a more critical review, Xan Brooks of The Guardian stated, "for all its excited carnality and seesawing power struggles, the film’s thrills feel machine-tooled and vacuum-packed. Babygirl rolls off the track looking almost as neat and anonymous as a box from Tensile’s upstate delivery warehouse." However, he commended Kidman's "bright, bold performance" as it "carries a top-note of distress, as though she is not entirely convinced by everything she’s signed up for." [41] On the contrary, Owen Gleiberman of Variety praised the overall film as "a shrewdly honest and entertaining movie about a flagrantly “wrong” sadomasochistic affair" and he termed Kidman's performance "fearless". [42]
Robbie Collin of The Telegraph praised the film, noting that it "is sharp enough – and hot enough." He highlighted Nicole Kidman's performance as "ferociously good, convincing utterly as this formerly level-headed careerist whose deeply buried, long-denied appetites are simultaneously proving her making and downfall." [43] Alison Willmore of Vulture described the film as "a self-love story," emphasizing that part of its message is about the importance of allowing oneself to be vulnerable and to "let yourself be small for a while." [44] Glenn Kenny of RogerEbert.com praised Kidman's performance but the film itself did not convince him "Kidman has garnered kudos for an uninhibited and daring performance, but when has she ever shied away from uninhibited and daring performances? I love to see them always, but I love to see them even more in good movies." [45] Kevin Maher of The Times mentioned that "...like the best BDSM experiences (they say), is slightly contrived but very satisfying." [46]
Radhika Seth of Vogue acknowledged that the film isn't for everyone, dividing critics and even premiere attendees. However, she praised Antonio Banderas, Nicole Kidman, Halina Reijn, and Cristobal Tapia de Veer for their standout contributions to the film. [47] Ben Croll of TheWrap said that despite hints at deeper themes and narratives, the film stands out for its surprising absence of cynicism. [48] Martin Tsai of IndieWire noted that while the film does elicit some laughs, whether intentional or not, it ultimately feels more demeaning for Nicole Kidman than Dogville . He pointed out that Catherine Breillat had already addressed similar themes more skillfully in Last Summer , and criticized Reijn for lacking the nuance needed to elevate the film into something more meaningful. [49]
Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Venice International Film Festival | September 7, 2024 | Golden Lion | Halina Reijn | Nominated | [50] [51] |
Volpi Cup for Best Actress | Nicole Kidman | Won |
Nicole Mary Kidman is an Australian-American actress and producer. Known for her work in film and television productions across many genres, she has consistently ranked among the world's highest-paid actresses since the late 1990s. Her accolades include an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and six Golden Globe Awards. She became the first Australian actor to receive the AFI Life Achievement Award honor in 2024.
José Antonio Domínguez Bandera, better known as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish actor. Known for his work in films of several genres, he has received numerous accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival Award and a Goya Award, as well as nominations for an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, and a Tony Award.
Brady James Monson Corbet is an American actor and filmmaker. Corbet started his career acting in films such as Thirteen (2003), Mysterious Skin (2004), Funny Games (2007), Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011), Melancholia (2011), and Clouds of Sils Maria (2014). He also acted in the fifth season of the action series 24 (2006) and the HBO miniseries Olive Kitteridge (2015).
Carice Anouk van Houten is a Dutch actress. Her first leading role in the television film Suzy Q (1999) won her the Golden Calf for Best Acting in a Television Drama; two years later, she won the Golden Calf for Best Actress for Miss Minoes (2001).
Halina Reijn is a Dutch actress, writer and film director.
Sebastian Stan is a Romanian–American actor. He gained recognition for his role as Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier in the Marvel Cinematic Universe media franchise beginning with the film Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), and including the Disney+ miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021).
Stage 6 Films, Inc. is an American film production label of Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions that acquires and produces feature films that are low budget and that are being released direct-to-disc, on demand, or through streaming services. Some of their films are also being released theatrically. Once a film is finished, Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions will decide if the film will be released theatrically or on a different platform.
Blossom Films is a production company founded by American-born Australian actress Nicole Kidman in 2010. The first production by the company was the film Rabbit Hole, based on the play of the same name by David Lindsay-Abaire. Their logo features a blossom tree growing.
American-born Australian actress and producer Nicole Kidman has appeared in numerous film and television projects, as well as in theatre productions. She made her film debut in the Australian drama Bush Christmas in 1983. Four years later, she starred in the television miniseries Bangkok Hilton, for which she received the AACTA Award for Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama. Her breakthrough role was as a married woman trapped on a yacht with a murderer in the 1989 thriller Dead Calm. She followed this with her Hollywood debut opposite Tom Cruise in Tony Scott's auto-racing film Days of Thunder (1990). Her role as a homicidal weather forecaster in Gus Van Sant's crime comedy-drama To Die For garnered Kidman a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical in 1996. She worked with Cruise again on Ron Howard's Far and Away (1992) and Stanley Kubrick's erotic thriller Eyes Wide Shut in 1999.
The Killing Of A Sacred Deer is a 2017 absurdist psychological horror thriller film directed and co-produced by Yorgos Lanthimos, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Efthimis Filippou. It stars Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, Barry Keoghan, Raffey Cassidy, Sunny Suljic, Alicia Silverstone, and Bill Camp. It follows a cardiac surgeon who introduces his family to a teenage boy with a connection to his past, after which they mysteriously begin to fall ill.
Harris Dickinson is an English actor. He began his career in British television and had his first starring role in the drama film Beach Rats (2017), for which he was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead. He played John Paul Getty III in the FX drama series Trust (2018).
Expats is an American drama television miniseries created and directed by Lulu Wang, based on the 2016 novel The Expatriates by Janice Y. K. Lee. It premiered on Amazon Prime Video on January 26, 2024. It stars Nicole Kidman as Margaret Woo, an American expatriate living in Hong Kong when tragedy befalls her family.
Instinct is a 2019 Dutch drama film directed by Halina Reijn. It was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival. It was selected as the Dutch entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.
Bodies Bodies Bodies is a 2022 American black comedy horror film directed by Halina Reijn. Its screenplay is written by Sarah DeLappe from a story by Kristen Roupenian. It stars Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova, Myha'la Herrold, Chase Sui Wonders, Rachel Sennott, Lee Pace, and Pete Davidson. At a house party, a friend group plays a murder in the dark-style game called Bodies Bodies Bodies, which quickly turns dark.
Sophie Wilde is an Australian actress. She gained early attention for her roles in the Stan series Eden and the BBC One drama You Don't Know Me. Her performance in the horror film Talk to Me (2022) brought her further recognition, winning the AACTA Award for Best Actress. She also received a nomination for the BAFTA Rising Star Award and was honoured with the Trophée Chopard.
2AM is an American independent film production and management company founded in 2021 by Christine D'Souza Gelb, David Hinojosa, and Kevin Rowe. The company is best known for producing films such as Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022), The Starling Girl (2023), and Past Lives (2023).
David Hinojosa is an American film producer, and founding partner of 2AM. Hinojosa has produced Nasty Baby (2015), Beatriz at Dinner (2017), First Reformed (2017), Vox Lux (2018), Zola (2020), The World to Come (2020), Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022), and Past Lives (2023).
Tess McMillan is an American model for Jean-Paul Gaultier and Vaquera, a painter. and an actress.