Babygirl Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Babygirl Blu-ray Movie Review

Somebody put Baby(girl) in a corner.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman March 30, 2025

It may be just slightly comical that director Halina Reijn's immediate predecessor to this outing was called Bodies Bodies Bodies. There are certainly plenty of those pervading this potentially provocative enterprise, though that "potentially" bit may indicate that some may find at least a few elements of the story of a sexually frustrated female entrepreneur named Romy Mathis (Nicole Kidman) actually a bit on the rote side, despite certain presentational choices that can at least add a liberal dose of "steam heat" to the proceedings. Romy is introduced in the film's opening moments astride her husband Jacob (Antonio Banderas) in bed, evidently enjoying herself immensely, until it's soon revealed that at least a bit like Sally's famous deli moment in When Harry Met Sally..., Romy may have a bit of a flair for "performance". What ensues kind of hilariously struck me as a 21st century update of a Douglas Sirk melodrama, with, in this case, an arguably aging woman having an affair with a much younger man while also trying to navigate her marriage and family life. The fact that the younger man is an employee of Romy's obviously subverts any #metoo angle, though rather interestingly (and this may be the one inevitably provocative element for many viewers) ending up with Romy as a willingly submissive sexual partner in some "love games" that may approach Fifty Shades of Grey territory.

It may or may not be some kind of subliminal suggestion on the part of Reijn's screenplay that Romy is introduced to Samuel (Harris Dickinson) in a near horror film version of "meeting cute" when she's approached if never really attacked by an unleashed dog and Samuel comes to her rescue. What makes this odd little vignette perhaps "meaningful" is that soon enough Samuel is the near feral animal coming even closer to mauling Romy when the two rather quickly consummate their relationship after this bizarre introduction. In the meantime, the potential "power dynamic" between the two is discussed, and it's here that Reijn may want to have her cake and eat it, too, so to speak, by giving lip service to this "gender reversed #metoo" formulation but then positing Romy as (at least initially) an agreeable enough sub to Samuel's dominating sexual behaviors.

What repeatedly struck me as rather unexpected about Babygirl is how Reijn seems to want to subvert a tale of "female empowerment". This dialectic suffuses the film in any number of ways, but it's salient to note that after Romy experiences an evidently real and shattering climax with Samuel, she almost instantly gives way to what amounts to guilt and shame. This is "female empowerment"? Things start to go quasi-Fatal Attraction with Samuel attempting to up a potential brew of titillation, excitement and fear by more or less invading Romy's home environment. The "power play" aspect definitely gives Babygirl a decided edge, but the whole thing really can't help but feel a bit smarmy, with some office politics and simmering threats of blackmail ultimately playing into events that reminded me more than a bit of some of the plot mechanics of Disclosure.

Note: My colleague Brian Orndorf was considerably less enthused about Babygirl. You can read Brian's thoughts here.

Babygirl Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Babygirl is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of A24 with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.00:1. This is another digitally captured production (by Arri Alexas according to the IMDb) that has been intentionally tweaked in post to resemble film, and the digital grain can be quite heavy at times, as in the opening set of scenes first in the bedroom and then when Romy gets a little "alone time" in a room drenched in blue tones. That said, I'd probably argue the grain is a bit more subliminal looking in this presentation than in A24's simultaneously released 4K UHD version, though that said, you can't avoid seeing it against some of the more brightly colored backgrounds in particular. Detail levels are typically excellent despite this often pretty aggressive "texturizing", and the abundant use of extreme close-ups certainly helps to elevate fine detail levels. The palette is really nicely suffused, and while there is some subtle grading that can be noticed (interestingly toward both cooler blues and warmer orange-yellows), things look natural throughout. I would advise that fans of the film probably opt for A24's Babygirl 4K release, as that provides even more impressive detail levels and some really lush palette highlights courtesy of HDR / Dolby Vision.

Babygirl Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Babygirl features a Dolby Atmos track that is consistent immersive, but which by design is not a sonic showcase for literal or figurative over the top effects. There is still noticeable engagement of the Atmos speakers, as well as the "traditional" surround channels, for a number of sound effects, including perhaps just a bit hilariously, heavy breathing, but there are also some nice moments offering good immersive ambient environmental effects in both urban work environments but, later, some outdoor material as well. A number of evocative source cues are utilized, including what has evidently become a meme worthy use of "Father Figure" by George Michael, and all of the scoring is nicely splayed through the surround channels. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Babygirl Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Director Commentary with Halina Reijn


• Directing Desire with Halina Reijn (HD; 11:03) offers some good interviews with Reijn and the cast.


• Power Looks: Dressing the Cast of Babygirl (HD; 9:09) looks at costume design.


• Deleted Scenes (HD; 8:21)

This has what is becoming the standard A24 packaging, with a slipbox enclosing a DigiPack. The DigiPack's left sleeve has six art cards (which per several other releases from A24 with similar swag I had a really hard time extricating).

Babygirl Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In a somewhat similar but also admittedly completely different way, Halina Reijn subverts expectations in Babygirl as she did in Bodies Bodies Bodies. That said, I'm not sure Reijn's "message" here is very clear in the long run, though the film at least offers Kidman a decided showcase for another typically intense performance (one that kind of plays as the "flip side" to her work in Big Little Lies). The conclusion here is surprisingly conventional, given all that has gone on before. Technical merits are solid and the supplements very enjoyable. With caveats about a certain inconsistency of ideas and with a warning to those with an aversion to prurient content, Recommended.