- Monday, February 17, 2025
Kidman portrays Romy, a New York CEO who risks her marriage by engaging in a sado-masochistic relationship with a younger intern
By: India Weekly
NICOLE KIDMAN expressed her feelings of vulnerability ahead of the premiere of her latest film “Babygirl” at the Venice Film Festival.
In the film, Kidman portrays Romy, a New York CEO who risks her marriage by engaging in a sado-masochistic relationship with a younger intern.
“This definitely leaves me exposed and vulnerable and frightened and all of those things when it’s given to the world, but making it with these people here, it was delicate and intimate and very, very deep,” Kidman said at a press conference before the premiere.
The film, directed by Halina Reijn, is one of 21 in competition for the Golden Lion prize. Reijn, who also wrote the script, delves into themes of female desire and power dynamics, flipping traditional power relationships in unexpected ways.
Kidman, known for exploring complex human emotions in her roles, was drawn to the project for its layered examination of female identity and desire.
“I want to examine human beings,” she said. “I want to examine women onscreen, I want to examine what it means to be human and in all facets of that and the labyrinth of that.”
Reijn, one of seven female directors in the main competition, emphasized the importance of a woman’s perspective in telling this story. Kidman echoed this sentiment, saying, “It’s told by a woman through her gaze… that’s to me what made it so unique.”
Last year, the Golden Lion was awarded to Yorgos Lanthimos’s “Poor Creatures,” a film that similarly explored themes of self-identity and sexuality.
“Babygirl” continues this trend, challenging the boundaries of the erotic genre and bringing attention to the still-existing gender gap in film direction.
