A brutally honest review of Babygirl.

If you're sick of hearing about the movie Babygirl, I'm here to set your mind at ease.

It does seem like the seasons have changed many times over since we first started talking about Nicole Kidman's new erotic drama, but the truth is that the movie has only just landed in Australian cinemas this week.

Elsewhere in the world, moviegoers were able to unwrap their presents and avoid their family members by seeing Babygirl on the big screen on Christmas Day. Which isn't the stretch you might think it is, since the opening scenes of the movie take place during the festive season.

Still, better late than never, and if you're dying to know why Nicole Kidman's new plus one is a glass of milk, allow me to explain the lore.

Babygirl opens on an orgasm, which sounds delightful until you understand that this is a movie hell-bent on making you realise that every seemingly perfect scenario is hiding a deeper issue.

On paper, Nicole Kidman's character Romy Mathis has the ideal life. She has a wildly successful career as the CEO of a large company, a sprawling apartment in the city, a lush country home she escapes to on weekends, two teenage daughters she adores, and a hot husband named Jacob (played by Antonio Banderas) who still lusts after her and is extremely proud of all her accomplishments.

Of course, it's no surprise that beneath the surface Romy's life is not as perfect as it seems and one major issue in her life is that she cannot orgasm while having sex with her husband (see, I told you that opening scene was filled with lies). Instead, she quietly scurries away from their room once the sex is over and masturbates in front of porn so that she can orgasm on her own in peace.

Then, while running her empire, Romy meets a man in his early twenties named Samuel (played by Harris Dickinson) who she first spies while he is taming a runaway dog in the street and then discovers he is an intern at her company, where he schemes his way into making her his mentor.

Take a look at the trailer for Babygirl, article continues.

Despite telling him she has no time to be his mentor, Romy shows up to their first mentorship meeting and their affair starts from there. Samuel kicks things off by suggesting to a clearly uncomfortable Romy that she likes to be told what to do, and their first meeting ends with a passionate kiss. Later on, he sends her a large glass of milk during a company after-work drinks event and nods at her to consume it, looking very impressed with himself when she downs it in one gulp.

This leads Romy to lie to her family about her whereabouts and meet Samuel in a hotel room at night, where she tells him she only came to put an end to his behaviour, but ends up following his instructions and moaning on the floor while being submission to him, a sexual request her husband had previously laughed away.

Here's the thing about Babygirl, if you sit down to watch this movie looking for nothing more than a series of sexy and kink-filled scenes, you'll be left sorely disappointed.

In this film, Samuel is no suave Christian Grey with an opulent pain room at his disposal, nor does Babygirl delve into the intricacies of BDSM the way that other movies such as Secretary have done in the past.

Instead, during their first encounter in the hotel room, Samuel has the energy of an employee who lied about their previous experience during the job interview and is now out of their depth at the office. When Romy finally agrees to submit to him, he is unsure of what to do, before panicking and telling her to stand against a wall.

While their affair is more vanilla-tinted than fifty shades, Romy finds herself sexually empowered and free in a way she's never felt before.

During the press tour for Babygirl, Nicole Kidman's comments about being exhausted after having to pretend to orgasm so much on set went viral. Yet when you see the movie, the woman kind of has a point.

So many of Romy's most defining scenes are devoid of dialogue, leaving Kidman to deliver a series of overly psychical and visceral performances that portray her character's most freeing moments, while also showing the shame she lives with and the internal conflict she's struggling with as she continues to lead a double life.

One of the most realistic elements of Babygirl is surprisingly the dynamic between Romy and Samuel as their relationship progresses. As things become more complicated between the pair (and he shows up at her family home uninvited under the guise of work), their relationship sours. He lashes out at her, causing her to take on an almost soothing motherly role in an effort to calm him down and keep their secret.

There are many moments throughout Babygirl where Romy's age is thrown in her face as the ultimate insult, rooting the movie in realism more than erotic fantasy. In a moment of anger, Samular yells that he could never really be attracted to someone as old as her, while her daughter Isabel (played by Esther McGregor, the daughter of Kidman's Moulin Rouge co-star Ewan McGregor) sneers at her mother for 'putting that stuff in her face'.

Even her assistant Esme (played by Australian actress Sophie Wilde) uses her boss's age and standing as a way to voice her intense disapproval of her behaviour.

There's even a scene in the opening moments of the film where Romy takes time out of her busy day to get injections in her face, further hammering home the fact that a successful woman's life won't appear enviable unless she still looks young enough to be worthy of it.

Babygirl is not a subversive movie, but it's still enjoyable and intriguing and worth seeing in a theatre now that it's finally in Australia.

Listen to Holly Wainwright share her thoughts about Babygirl on Mid. Article continues.

One of the strongest points of recommendation for Babygirl is that it was written and directed by Halina Reijn, the actress and filmmaker whose English-language directorial debut Bodies Bodies Bodies is somewhat of a masterpiece. Any story told through her eyes has a unique spin and is worthy of your time.

Despite its BDSM overtones, Babygirl opts to mostly play it safe, especially when it comes to the movie's ending.

But if Nicole Kidman can put her life on the line pretending to orgasm for hours on end, then the least you can do is put down your phone and watch her do it.

Babygirl is now playing in cinemas Australia-wide. It is rated MA15+.

Laura Brodnik is Mamamia's Head of Entertainment and host of The Spill podcast. You can follow her on Instagram here for more entertainment news and recommendations.

Feature image: A24