If you hear Father Figure everywhere at the moment, it’s thanks to her. In front of the cameraHalina Reijn, Harris Dickinson dancing, bare torso and languorous gestures, to the sound of the tube of George Michael. Sitting in an armchair in a bathrobe, Nicole Kidman is hypnotized. Suspended moment. Cult sequence. Already released in the United States, Babygirl is a phenomenon. Nicole Kidman plays Romy, a renowned CEO, fulfilled mother of two teenage daughters and wife dissatisfied with her sex life with her husband (Antonio Banderas). Her meeting with Samuel (Harris Dickinson), a bold new intern, turns her daily life upside down: in contact with him, she gives free rein to BDSM submission fantasies that she has never experienced. Trapped by her double life, torn by the dichotomy between her public image and her desires, Romy enjoys transgression, even if it means risking endangering her family life and her reputation.
After Instinct: Forbidden connection et Bodies Bodies Bodies, Halina Reijn marks a brilliant reflection on the power games that dictate our lives down to the most intimate corners. The stunning Nicole Kidman plays with her image as Demi Moore In The Substancewith the crazy audacity of a visceral performance. At his side, Harris Dickinson (Without Filter, Iron Claw) disrupts the viewer’s judgment and senses brilliantly, elusive and captivating with every glance. On social networks, spectators are ecstatic over some already viral scenes – Nicole Kidman drinks a glass of milk, Nicole Kidman is in the corner, Harris Dickinson whispers “good girl” into the crook of her neck. Proof thatHalina Reijn hit the nail on the head in its subversive approach to sex, power and female desire. Encounter.
Halina ReijnAmrita Blacksmith
What of your own intimate questions did you put into the scenario of Babygirl ?
Halina Reijn. When I started writing, I wanted every scene to be infused with a power dynamic, whether sexual or not. Questions of power and generation interest me a lot. I’m Gen X myself and I made a film called Bodies Bodies Bodies with young actors, which I really liked. Sometimes, they challenged me on subjects that made me question myself. I come from an era where directors were incredibly dominant. Male directors, in particular, were dictators. For all these reasons, I wanted to talk about power and sexuality in my own way – and with humor.
What was the starting point for writing the character of Romy?
I wanted to show the evolution of a character who struggles with inner mechanisms. After all, Romy is a product of the patriarchy. This is why she is not capable of saying to her husband: “This is what I want, this is how I like this or that thing. » As a leader, she also has difficulty opening up, agreeing to be vulnerable and accessible. She doesn’t even know what her desires are. And those she identifies, she relegates to a dark place within herself, hidden in her computer. Every time she masturbates [devant une vidéo pornographique]she closes her PC before even realizing what she has just done.
Several sex scenes between Romy and Samuel begin with groping, discomfort, hesitation. Why did you want to take the time to show them on screen?
Our humanity lies there. All these moments of fragility, discomfort, awkwardness remind us that sex is not a beautiful book of perfect images, frozen on glossy paper. No more than a Hollywood film, for that matter. Why is sex so thrilling? Precisely because it can be a bit scary and embarrassing. When we accept that, we are able to abandon ourselves and it becomes wonderful. I find it much more sexy, sensual and erotic to show the reality of sexual interactions. The end result doesn’t matter to me. This concern for honesty required me to be very aware of my own experience. It was a real challenge because as women, we have internalized the male gaze. Many of us only see ourselves through a man’s eyes when we look in the mirror.
Between the two characters, the age difference disappears in favor of the tension between domination and submission. Would you like to put the issue of age in the background?
For hundreds of years, seeing men with younger women has been normalized. To the point that if a man dates a woman his age, it seems crazy. “What is this old woman doing with this man?” [rires] This even applies to red carpets: think about Keanu Reeves. Everyone is surprised that he is with a woman his age [Alexandra Grant, ndlr] and everyone gives their opinion on each of their appearances. The truth is, women also want to normalize relationships with men younger than them. They still need to have the space to express this fantasy. This is why I wanted to decenter the subject of the film. I’m talking less about age than about position of power. Of course, the age difference plays a role in their relationship but Samuel sometimes behaves like a father with Romy. He probes her better than anyone, he advises her not to drink so much coffee… He becomes a Father Figureharsh and authoritarian at times, tender and gentle at other times. They both want to play different roles of power and submission, in their sexuality but also in their spiritual relationship. They derive a form of appeasement from it.
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