Babygirl

Arguably without clear frontrunners, 2025’s Oscars race in all the major categories appears to be wide open.

Nicole Kidman will certainly be hoping to stake a claim to become a multiple winner with her performance in Babygirl.

Another entrant into the revitalised ‘erotic thriller’ genre alongside last year’s Challengers, this A24 production is an interesting and thought-provoking look into desire, power, relationships and our own wishes and what we would put at stake for them.

Kidman’s Romy is the CEO of a ground-breaking tech’ firm (kept deliberately vague so as not to distract too much from the dynamics elsewhere.) Ostensibly happily married but with a few early hints dropped that everything isn’t absolutely perfect within her world.

As she starts an affair with intern’ Samuel (an equally brilliant Harris Dickinson who rises to meet the challenge set by Kidman) based on evolving stakes and changing desires, we see Romy question what she wants.

It fits the bill as an erotic thriller with the conventions and archetypes in place but clearly wants to meet this genre at a higher level and discuss more about this dynamic psychologically.

However, despite some flashes given to the character’s backstories, possible motivations and some comments from conflicting voices it doesn’t quite coalesce into giving us a definitive throughline of thought.

That extends to the plot itself which careens its way through. It’s largely satisfactory, but does skip forward a little at points and gives a couple of suggestions that scenes are fantasies rather than reality before proving to be the opposite. This can throw the balance off at times.

There’s potentially a slightly tighter film in here somewhere but it’s still a fresh-feeling and entertaining movie anchored by its towering central couple as well as strong supporting performances.

It’ll cause debate, raise questions and thoughts and certainly is a film of positivity in many ways. It just doesn't quite fully cohere.

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