Harris Dickinson has undoubtedly mastered onscreen sleaze. To expound would entail spoiling both Where the Crawdads Sing and Triangle of Sadness. Point is, he’s nailed the archetype, as he once again scores a devious role. Much as he’s not yet top-billed, he’s at least earned his spot with the big leagues in Halina Reijn’s Babygirl. 

It’s the fourth directorial stint for the Dutch actress, who helmed the 2022 horror comedy Bodies Bodies Bodies. As she forays to erotic thriller, she now joins forces with her brightest lead yet. This isn’t not exactly a walk in the park for Nicole Kidman, even though she once did Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut and 2001’s less notable Birthday Girl. This is quite arguably her most provocative turn yet, with that opening orgasm only setting the mood, at best. Expect boundaries to be pushed.

Kidman plays Romy Mathis, a CEO of a robotic company, ergo, the epitome of a self-made power woman. At home, however, it’s a different story. She’s bored with her marriage to theater director Jacob (Antonio Banderas) to the point she fakes her climaxes just to protect his feelings. Enter now Dickinson as the Samuel, whom Rory first meets at the sidewalk, pacifying an aggressive dog with ease. Little does she know that they’re bound to cross paths again, as a young intern in her company. And that dog-whispering prowess isn’t just limited to canines. 

Quite expectedly, the innuendoes commence, some in bizarre ways like Samuel anonymously serving Romy milk at a bar. Soon, the flirting leads to indecent proposals, which in turn, lead to torrid encounters. Corporate hierarchy is also eventually thrown out the window. With Romy now under Samuel’s power, she’s never felt so sexually fulfilled in years, even when his intimacy style degrades her. At worst, she’s forced into crawling position to drink water from a dog’s dish, as George Michael’s “Father Figure” looms in the soundtrack. Watching her subject to such extremes may disturb, especially in a film written and directed by a woman.

The obsession only mounts in further sequences, with Samuel somehow infiltrating Romy’s domestic life. You bet it takes its toll, and trust Banderas to balance loyalty and concealed pain as the jilted family man. His prowess comes in most handy later on. Same applies for newbies Esther McGregor and Vaughan Riley as unsuspecting daughters Isabel and Nora, respectively. The manipulation reaches its peak when Samuel starts dating Romy’s assistant, Esme (Sophie Wilde). Of course, this puts Romy’s place in Samuel’s life into question and the topic of age insecurity is touched. 

Romy eventually reaches enlightenment and she soon reclaims her power. But given what she goes through in prior scenes, both the transformation and resolve feel contrived. Some may wonder whether the film sincerely aims to empower or just cushions the borderline sadomasochism. 

Thankfully, it’s the fine performances that salvage the film’s credibility with Kidman, unsurprisingly, scoring the homerun. They’re the ones who save this bit from being laughable. Otherwise, this would have remained a pet lover’s take on 50 Shades of Gray.