Why “Babygirl” Director Halina Reijn Rejects the “Odd” Age Gap Romance
In a recent interview with W Magazine, “Babygirl” director Halina Reijn addresses the hot topic of age-gap romances in her new erotic thriller starring Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson.
“Babygirl” joins a growing list of films that explore this complex relationship dynamic, including “May-December” and “The Idea of You.” Reijn, who also penned the screenplay, strongly believes that portraying age-gap romances with women in the lead role is crucial for breaking societal norms.
Challenging Gender Roles in Romance
“If we see a movie where the male actor is the same age as the female actor, we find that odd. Which is insane,” Reijn said. “It should completely be normalized that the age gaps switch and that women have different relationships. We’re not trapped in a box anymore. We internalize the male gaze, we internalize patriarchy, and we need to free ourselves from it. It’s really hard.”
“Babygirl” follows Nicole Kidman’s character, Romy, a successful CEO, who embarks on a passionate affair with her significantly younger intern, Samuel, played by Harris Dickinson. The film delves into the complexities of their relationship, defying traditional power dynamics and societal expectations.
Raw and Unfiltered Sexuality
Reijn further emphasized the importance of depicting sexuality in a realistic and unfiltered manner. “I wanted the film’s sex scenes “to feel incredibly hot and steamy and fun, but I also wanted them to be real,” she said. “Sexuality is stop-and-go. It’s never like a glamour scene from a Hollywood movie in the ’90s. That’s just not how it works.”
For Nicole Kidman, “Babygirl” presented a unique opportunity to explore a character who defies conventional narratives about female sexuality. “A lot of times women are discarded at a certain period of their career as a sexual being,” she explained. “So it was really beautiful to be seen in this way. From the minute I read it, I was like, “Yeah, this is a voice I haven’t seen, this is a place that I haven’t been, I don’t think audiences have been.” My character has reached a stage where she’s got all this power, but she’s not sure who she is, what she wants, what she desires, even though she seems to have it all. And I think that’s really relatable.”
Experience “Babygirl” in theaters and explore the complex and daring world of age-gap romances.