Warning: this article contains spoilers for Babygirl and discusses Sєxual harᴀssment.
Nicole Kidman’s most recent film, Babygirl, explores Sєxual desire and its consequences, and it’s spiritually connected to one of her films from 6 years ago. The movie focuses on Romy Mathis’ (Kidman) dissatisfaction with her Sєx life with her husband, Jacob (Antonio Banderas), and her decision to begin an age-gap affair with her young intern, Samuel (Harris Dickinson). The film delves deeply into Romy’s desire to be dominated and finally experience the Sєxual satisfaction that she has not gotten from her husband, while simultaneously portraying her guilt about betraying her family, leading to Babygirl‘s surprisingly hopeful ending for Romy.
Due to the film’s thoughtful and complex portrayal of Sєxuality, Babygirl has received positive reviews, which praise Kidman and Dickinson’s performances and the subject matter. Fittingly, Babygirl has also become one of Kidman’s most financially successful roles in years just weeks into its release, proving that she continues to have an audience drawn decades into her career. Surprisingly, though, Babygirl also has an unusual connection to one of Kidman’s previous films from six years ago due to its exploration of one shared issue.
Samuel & Romy’s Affair Makes Babygirl About Inappropriate Workplace Conduct
They Both Know That The Affair Would Cause Trouble If Word Got Out
Part of what makes Babygirl so thrilling is knowing that Romy’s affair is so intricately connected to her professional life, making the stakes incredibly high. When Romy first sees Samuel tame the dog on the street, he catches her attention, but when she learns he is her intern, the intrigue becomes too much for her to resist. While Romy acknowledges that having an affair would be wrong when Samuel first begins to make advances towards her, she ultimately gives in to her desire because her marriage is so lacking in Sєxual satisfaction.
As her company’s CEO, Romy is in a position of power at work, especially compared to Samuel, who is just an intern.
However, despite Romy’s desire to keep the affair going, both she and Samuel repeatedly discuss the ramifications that it could have on her career if anyone found out. As her company’s CEO, Romy is in a position of power at work, especially compared to Samuel, who is just an intern. If anyone found out about the affair, Romy’s career would nosedive. Samuel even threatens this throughout the film as Romy contemplates leaving him. This unequal power dynamic is explored in Babygirl through the characters’ conflicting emotions and questioning of who is really in control.
Babygirl Shows A Different Side Of Work, Sєx, & Power Dynamics Than Nicole Kidman Explored With Bombshell
Kidman’s Character Is On The Opposite Side Of The Issue In Bombshell
In contrast to Kidman’s character in Babygirl, where she is in a position of authority, her portrayal of Gretchen Carlson in the 2019 movie Bombshell, highlights the opposite side of workplace power dynamics. Bombshell tackled the real events leading to the dismissal of Fox News CEO Roger Ailes after he Sєxually harᴀssed multiple women employees. The events of the film were connected to the larger #MeToo movement, but Romy’s actions in Babygirl highlight that women are just as capable of abusing their power.
In fact, Romy’s ᴀssistant, Esme, confronts her about her relationship with Samuel, and she responds by offering to talk about Esme’s long-sought-after promotion to divert attention from her actions. Esme highlights how much she looked up to Romy and how she had hoped that women in positions of power would behave differently than men. While the purpose of Babygirl as a film is much different than that of Bombshell, which aimed to portray real events, both are critical of such inappropriate behavior, with Babygirl implying that Romy realizes the harm of her actions by the end.
