Babygirl (2024)

You've got to hand it to Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson, the stars of Babygirl. This isn't an easy gig, as it never is when trying to explore adult sexual dynamics in a way that feels authentic and intriguing, but they rely on writer-director Halina Reijn to help them avoid looking like idiots. I'm not sure Reijn manages that though.

Kidman plays Romy, a powerful CEO who is dedicated to her job, has a loving husband (Antonio Banderas) and two daughters (Esther McGregor and Vaughan Reilly), and generally seems to have her life exactly as she wants it. She's unfulfilled sexually though, missing something that she can't define. And that's how she ends up risking a hell of a lot when she becomes drawn to a young intern, Samuel (Dickinson), who seems to make her want to submit control to him.

There are things to like about Babygirl, even things to admire. It has moments that show two people figuring out exactly what they want in a way that is as awkward and funny as any communication can be when individuals are exploring their sexual preferences and how they want to best complement one another. Occasionally embarrassing, and definitely bewildering to those who have gone through their life in complete vanilla mode, the film shows a good selection of conversations and situations that inform the consent and power-sharing between the two main characters. This subsequently allows the moments of passion to feel more heated, and it shows an escalation as they push for an ever-increasing thrill.

Reijn is clever enough to know that there are an awful lot of nerves and wariness before reaching the level of trust and confidence that these people need to have in one another, and that's where Babygirl excels. It's a lose-lose situation though, because those scenes have an inherent cringe factor for anyone simply looking on from the sidelines, as we all are while the movie plays. Where Reijn really stumbles, however, is in the ongoing, and quite tiresome, trope of always aiming to defend/support an extra-marital affair when the lead character engaging in one is female. There's no doubt that Kidman is causing harm, to herself and the ones she loves, but it's also seen as stemming from her lack of fulfilment, which is supposed to make it understandable. 

Kidman and Dickinson are excellent in their roles, especially when navigating their more vulnerable moments, but their work is undermined by other elements in the script. The timeline gets a bit murky, some tensions don't really seem too bothersome in the grand scheme of things, and it's hard to remember that sensation that they're after, tied to the subterfuge and coding of their indiscretions, while they both become so relatively brazen in their behaviour. Banderas does well as the emasculated husband, helped hugely by the fact that he's Antonio Banderas, McGregor and Vaughan are fine as the two daughters who inevitably sense when things start to go sour, and Sophie Wilde does very well in the role of Esme, a PA to Kidman's character who wants to go to the next stage in her career.

It's, ironically, hard to put a finger on just why this doesn't quite work. The performances are all very good, there's an eclectic and enjoyable soundtrack, and it's refreshing to see someone even attempting to seriously explore this subject matter in a way that is responsible and quite authentic. Maybe it can't ever work in a straightforward film though, and that might be why we should be happy when we get wonderfully strange delights like Secretary and The Duke Of Burgundy.

5/10

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Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)

Pete Davidson plays David, a young man about to hold a hurricane party for a group of his friends at his family home. He also seems to be a bit of a dick, but that becomes less of an obstacle for anyone watching the movie when David is found dead. The group immediately suspect the one other male still amongst them (Greg, played by Lee Pace), but they also turn against one another as the killer seemingly stays hiding in plain sight. Is it Sophie (Amanda Stenblerg), a recovering addict who has turned up with a new girlfriend, Bee (Maria Bakalova)? Is it Bee? Maybe David’s girlfriend, an actress named Emma (Chase Sui Wonders), was just tired of his shit. Podcaster Alice (Rachel Sennott) seems to be desperate enough to create such a drama. And then there’s Jordan (Myha’la Herrold), a badass who definitely seems the most capable of killing someone. 

Written by Sarah DeLappe, majorly reworking a more straightforward slasher movie screenplay by Kristen Roupenian, Bodies Bodies Bodies is a comedy that is looking to have people love or hate it. There will be very few people who end up in the middle, thanks to the relentless parade of negative character traits displayed by everyone onscreen. Nobody here seems to have many (any?) redeeming features. Which doesn’t mean they deserve to die, but it is certainly more fun to watch this group self-implode due to the consequences of their own attitudes and actions. The dialogue isn’t as sharp as it could be, but you get some superb lines that will make you laugh while reminding you of how awful the characters are, and it’s a shame that things seem to take a bit too long to really get going. Thankfully, the third act is so good that it’s easy to forgive the rest. And there’s an ending that ranks up there with one of the best I have seen in the past few years.

Director Halina Reijn does a good job with the material, and she has a team that works well in shooting most of the movie in darkness. The house is big enough for people to wander off to various parts of it while hunting for a killer, there are plenty of accessories that you would expect these characters to have to hand, and there’s a general level of consistency and care taken with the developing tensions and the placing of potential victims within the geography of the house.

Having Davidson as the first murder victim is great casting. He can quickly make a strong impression, good or bad, and his presence/character casts an appropriately large shadow over everything. Although very much an ensemble piece, and everyone does well with the material, Amandla Stenberg is an excellent nominal lead, sharing most of her scenes with a very good, and suitably bemused by the people around her, Bakalova. Sennott is a lot of fun, and Herrold revels in the strength of her character throughout. Pace is good, but gets less screentime than most of the women, and the only one who barely makes any impression, seemingly due to being almost forgotten by the script, is Wonders. 

I liked Bodies Bodies Bodies, but I was apprehensive during some of the earliest scenes. I didn’t like the characters, didn’t know who to root for, and struggled to even enjoy the “whodunnit?” aspect. Then I realised that was the point of the movie. As the situation starts to get worse, it is easier to see the characters all being hampered by their narcissism and selfishness, which makes it easier to just sit back and enjoy. And you have that ending, which is good enough to lift the whole movie up a notch.

8/10

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