The following contains spoilers for Babygirl, now playing in theaters.Babygirl, Halina Reijn's electric erotic thriller starring Nicole Kidman, delves into the complexities of female sexuality. This crucial theme is poignantly introduced in the film's opening scene, where Romy and her husband Jacob engage in a seemingly intimate encounter.
Romy's simulated orgasm, a stark contrast to the genuine pleasure she later finds in secret, underscores the performative nature of her marriage. Despite Babygirl’s divisive Rotten Tomatoes score, this theme is powerfully explored with its structure. The early glimpse into Romy's suppressed desires and the societal pressures she navigates sets the stage for a profound exploration of self-discovery and the pursuit of authentic intimacy.
Babygirl’s Opening Scene Is Deliberately Performative
The Intimate Scene Deliberately Caters To Jacob More Than Romy
According to Babygirl director Halina Reijn, the movie is about “the orgasm gap” between men and women (per IndieWire). Reijn sets the tone for this issue in Babygirl’s opening scene with Romy and her husband Jacob. The way the scene is shot caters to the male gaze, while Romy going to privately watch porn after the intimate scene shows the viewer a snapshot of their marriage. An aspect of intimacy that one party is able to achieve and not the other establishes a theme of imbalance, as well as secrecy.
Another theme it clearly establishes right from the beginning of Babygirl is a lack of authenticity. In this way, the feigned orgasm represents a wider issue for Romy’s character. The performativity of the moment followed by the secret fantasy she has to shut away in the dark shows that Romy does not feel able to be her true self. Her performance for her husband is also shown shortly afterwards, with her wearing a traditionally feminine apron while preparing her daughters’ lunches, which prompts Jacob to express distaste.
Nicole Kidman's new erotic thriller Babygirl perfectly subverts expectations by avoiding one actor's history, and the movie is the better for it.
This communicates to the audience that while Romy may seem like a woman who has it all, she has to live up to many contradictory expectations which she subverts in Babygirl. It also gives a confusing representation of who Romy is and how much of her identity is performance.
Babygirl’s Final Scene Shows Romy’s Journey With Her Sexuality
Romy's Final Scene With Jacob Emphasizes Their Growth
The events that follow the opening scene in Babygirl flip the initial dynamic on its head. Whereas Romy’s secret fantasy seems like a small part of her life in the opening, it becomes a bigger part of her life as the story develops. This causes a high-stakes division between her family and professional life and her sexual life. This is the dilemma that makes Babygirl an erotic thriller, although it has a more positive message by the film’s ending scene. Just like the beginning of the movie, the ending is an intimate scene between Romy and Jacob.
The ending is a more guttural sound comparable to the first hotel scene with Samuel...
This time, Romy’s character is at a point when she can be more authentic. After 19 years of marriage, she is finally able to have an honest orgasm with Jacob. Rather than the performative orgasm of the opening scene, the ending is a more guttural sound comparable to the first hotel scene with Samuel. The scene is dramatically different to the opening ofBabygirl, emphasizing how both characters have developed throughout. Although the mental image of Samuel and the dog complicates the Babygirl scene, it has an overwhelmingly positive conclusion for Romy.
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