Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Babygirl!

In a film full of weird scenes, Babygirl‘s milk scene is one of the most memorably weird, and here is why Romy drinks it and what the real meaning of the scene is, explained. Throughout Babygirl, Romy and Samuel are constantly playing psychological games with each other, with both characters vying for control over each other as they try to keep their workplace relationship under wraps. However, several scenes in Babygirl prove that the characters simply can’t keep their secrets to themselves, with Samuel showing off by buying Romy a glᴀss of milk while she is at a bar.

Director Halina Reijn is back after the success of 2022’s Bodies Bodies Bodies, with her now being behind 2024’s critically acclaimed Babygirl. The film follows Nicole Kidman as Romy Mathis, the CEO of a powerful New York City tech company, as she begins an inappropriate workplace relationship with a younger intern named Samuel. Throughout Babygirl, Romy is aware of the dangers of her relationship coming out, but despite knowing that it could cause her entire life to fall apart, her and Samuel continue their highly Sєxual relationship anyways.

Samuel Orders Romy A Glᴀss Of Milk At A Bar In Babygirl

And She Drinks The Whole Thing

Babygirl‘s milk scene is where things really begin to take off between Romy and Samuel, with it occurring shortly after they have their first workplace kiss. One night, while Romy is out for drinks with some work buddies, she notices Samuel sitting at the bar across the room. Although the two don’t speak to each other, they lock eyes. Shortly after, the waiter drops a glᴀss of milk off at the table, saying that it was bought for Romy. Romy’s friends protest at her drinking it due to not knowing where it came from. However, this doesn’t stop Romy.

Romy can tell that Samuel sent the milk, with her chugging the glᴀss as she makes eye contact with Samuel from across the room. As Samuel is leaving, he walks by the table and whispers “good girl” to Romy, putting an end to their brief encounter. Although the actions in the scene were seemingly innocent, the highly tense moment acts as a breaking point for both Romy and Samuel, with things clearly escalating soon after. Because of this, there is all kinds of meaning underlying Samuel’s decision to send the milk and Romy’s decision to drink it.

Romy Drinking The Milk Is A Test From Samuel

He Is Seeing If He Will Listen To Her

Although Romy’s friends aren’t aware of what is going on, it is clear that the milk is a test from Samuel. Early in their relationship, Samuel establishes that Romy must do whatever he says, with this being key to their Sєxual dynamic. Romy initially protests to this, saying that she doesn’t want to preemptively consent to any of Samuel’s requests. Later in the film, however, it becomes clear that Romy has not only agreed to this, but that she also enjoys it, with this practice being what makes the tension so high throughout Babygirl.

Samuel’s delivery of the milk is one of the first tests of this, with him sending the drink to see if Romy will truly do whatever he says. By drinking the milk, Romy proves that Samuel is still in charge, meaning that they can go forward with their relationship. This is a test by Samuel to see how far he can go, with him using the rest of Babygirl‘s runtime to escalate things based on her reaction in this scene.

Another important aspect of Samuel’s test of Romy is the setting. When Samuel sends the milk, Romy is out in public with her friends and coworkers. Despite this, she is still engaging in her relationship with Samuel, with the fact that she is keeping it under wraps being part of the fun for her. Samuel knows that Romy needs to risk losing things to get enjoyment out of their relationship. So, by doing this test in a way where Romy could easily reveal her relationship to her friends, Samuel is allowing Romy to prove that this behavior will continue into the future.

The Real Meaning Of Babygirl’s Milk Scene

According To The Director

Director Halina Reijn is the one who brought Babygirl‘s milk scene to life, and she has already talked about what she believes the meaning behind it is. In an interview with IndieWire, Reijn discussed Babygirl‘s milk scene, saying that “It is a great symbol of animalistic sides of ourselves.” As Reijn points out, milk is often drunk by animalistic and villainous characters in movies and TV shows. This can be seen in projects like A Clockwork Orange, Inglorious Basterds, No Country for Old Men, Leon: The Professional, The Boys, and now Babygirl.

These characters drinking milk is often read as unsettling due to milk’s ᴀssociation with youth and innocence. Babies drink milk, so having a Nazi, an ᴀssᴀssin, or a killer superhero drink it feels like a perversion of this innocence. Having Romy drink the milk in Babygirl plays on the exact same uncomfortable feelings that have been explored with milk throughout cinema history, with it highlighting Romy’s dark side as she threatens her family and her company thanks to her relationship with Samuel.

Babygirl’s Milk Scene Is Based On A True Story Involving The Director

Someone Really Ordered Her A Glᴀss Of Milk

As it turns out, Babygirl‘s milk scene is also based on a true story involving director Halina Reijn. As Reijn explains in the IndieWire article, the scene was based on a moment from her past where someone really bought her a glᴀss of milk at a bar. After doing a performance in Belgium, the director says she went to a bar by herself due to her friends not wanting to go out. While there, Reijn recognized a famous Belgian actor who was around 15 years younger than her, with him ordering her a glᴀss of milk.

“The milk is, of course, an archetype. We’ve seen it in other movies. It is a great symbol of animalistic sides of ourselves. It happened to me. I was playing in Belgium onstage, and I got offstage, and I had a really good run, and I was like, ‘Oh my god!’ I felt really good about myself for one night in my life. All my colleagues were like, ‘No, we’re going to bed.’ They’re all boring. I was all alone. I went to a bar, and I ordered something boring like a Diet Coke because I didn’t drink at that time because I was a control freak. There was this young Belgian actor — I can’t say who it is — but he was famous. I knew of him. I’d never spoken to him. He was at least 15 years younger than I, and he ordered me a glᴀss of milk. I thought it was an incredible, H๏τ thing to do, and so courageous, and so I wanted to reward him by drinking the whole thing, and I did. It did make me a little nauseated, to be honest with you, because it was cow milk. It was back in the day.”

According to the director, she found the act H๏τ, with her deciding to reward him for his courage. She decided to drink the whole thing, with Romy doing the same thing when the milk is ordered for her in Babygirl. It is interesting to see that Babygirl‘s viral milk scene was actually based on this real life event, as it is of incredible importance to the themes of the film. So, while it may be one of Babygirl‘s strangest scenes, it is also the one that actually happened to director Halina Reijn.

Source: IndieWire