Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson’s new film, Babygirl, is generating significant buzz, and for compelling reasons.
The film delves into an age-gap relationship where a powerful woman begins a sexual affair with her intern. Kidman portrays the woman engaged in the affair, while Dickinson, known for his role in Iron Claw, plays her intern. However, the exploration of power dynamics in this narrative is nuanced, leaning more towards a BDSM theme rather than a straightforward depiction of abuse of power.
In a recent interview, Kidman described her role as “liberating,” though she admitted to needing to pause filming at times due to the intense sex scenes and prolonged periods of physical intimacy. She expressed the emotional toll of the experience, stating, “There was an enormous amount of sharing and trust and then frustration. It’s like, ‘Don’t touch me.’ There were times when we were shooting where I was like, ‘I don’t want to orgasm any more.’”
Reflecting on the filming process, she conveyed her feelings of exhaustion: “Don’t come near me. I hate doing this. I don’t care if I am never touched again in my life! I’m over it. It was so present all the time for me that it was almost like a burnout.”
In another interview with People, Kidman emphasized the significance of having a female director at the helm and the freedom to explore new dimensions within a familiar genre. “There’s a sort of ‘jump off the cliff’ thing where you go, Okay, I’m just going to abandon everything and explore this with the people that I trust in a genre that is already set, but hopefully we can explore new territory and especially with female at the helm,” she remarked.
The director of Babygirl, Halina Reijn, drew inspiration from the iconic sexual thriller Basic Instinct, featuring Sharon Stone and Michael Douglas, which tells the story of a woman dissatisfied in her marriage.