BABYGIRL
Venice 81 – Competition
Usa, 2024 Director Halina Reijn Starring Nicole Kidman, Harris Dickinson, Antonio Banderas, Jean Reno, Sophie Wilde Distribution Eagle Pictures Running time 114’
Halina Reijn is a talent to watch out for. Her third collaboration with A24 confirms it. After the drama Instinct (2019) and the satirical horror Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022), the Dutch director and screenwriter arrives in Venice for the first time directly into the Official Competition. Babygirl is an erotic thriller bringing Nicole Kidman back to the Lido 20 years after Jonathan Glazer’s Birth. Babygirl follows the story of a powerful and authKubrick’s CEO (Kidman) who starts a sadomasochistic affair with a young intern for whom she risks her career and marriage to her husband (Antonio Banderas). Playing the charismatic lover is Harris Dickinson, one of the rising stars of young Hollywood after his performances in Triangle of Sadness and The Iron Claw. The cast includes the talented Sophie Wilde (Talk to Me) and the iconic Jean Reno. ‘We all have a little black box full of fantasies and taboos that we wish we never shared with anyone,’ explained the director. ‘I am fascinated by the duality of human nature, and with this film, I tried to shed light, without judgement, on the opposing forces that make up our personalities.’
