The Oscar hopes of Babygirl have dwindled after the Golden Globes merely nodded in Nicole Kidman’s direction. But if Kidman snags her sixth Oscars nomination, it would be in spite of the movie in which she stars.
Hollywood erotic thrillers are usually neither erotic nor thrilling, and Babygirl is no exception. It’s a beautifully shot taboo sniffer overladen with zeitgeist symbolism. Kidman depicts a successful CEO whose husband is a theatre director working on Hedda Gabler, a play about an unhappy marriage.
After Kidman’s character has sex with her husband, she rushes off to watch internet porn to orgasm. When a macho young intern lures her into a dom/sub affair – he calls her “babygirl” – she’s forced to confront… it’s not really clear what.
Kidman is always compelling, and her suppressed sensuality was the fire in the dreary night of Eyes Wide Shut. In the softcore erotica of Babygirl, it feels largely theoretical.
