Nicole Kidman's film Babygirl is making waves at the 81st Venice International Film Festival. This erotic thriller, directed by Halina Reijn, has garnered significant attention and critical acclaim. The film follows the story of a powerful CEO who becomes entangled in a passionate affair with her much younger intern. Critics have hailed Babygirl as one of the hottest films of the year, praising its intense portrayal of lust and desire. The film's exploration of power dynamics and the complexities of adult relationships has resonated with the moviegoers. Nicole Kidman's performance, alongside her co-stars Harris Dickinson, Sophie Wilde and Antonio Banderas, has been lauded for its intensity and authenticity. Venice Film Festival 2024: Nicole Kidman’s ‘Babygirl’ Receives Almost 7-Minute Standing Ovation at 81st Edition of the Prestigious Event (Watch Video).

Variety: Babygirl turns into a shrewdly honest and entertaining movie about a flagrantly “wrong” sadomasochistic affair. In Bodies Bodies Bodies, Reijn created tone of overwrought satirical slasher pulp, but here she settles into a far more realistic mode, and brings it off with flair. The movie is reminiscent, at times, of Fair Play, but it’s also a tale of adultery that pushes genuine emotional buttons, the way Unfaithful did 20 years ago. And that’s rooted in the fearless performance of Kidman."

Vulture: "The idea that someone’s needs in the bedroom might diverge from who they are and how they behave outside it isn’t radical, but Babygirl approaches it as though the concept were brand new, its lovers figuring out what they like as they go. Dickinson is often cast as aloof beauties, objects of desire rather than characters who actively go after what they want, but Babygirl brings him down to earth." ‘The Perfect Couple’ Review: Nicole Kidman's Netflix Mystery Drama Wows Critics With Ishaan Khatter's Performance Receiving Praise.

'Babygirl' Receives Standing Ovation at Venice Film Festival  

The Daily Beast: "Admittedly Kidman and Dickinson don’t have great chemistry—but they’re not supposed to. This is a different kind of relationship, unlike the typical Hollywood affair movie we’ve grown accustomed to. Their physical connection is undeniable, but it’s less believable on an emotional level. But again, this works: Samuel represents more of a physical desire than an emotional one. They’re attracted to each other for what they represent, and for the excitement that each provides the other."

IndireWire: "If only Babygirl didn’t overstate its intentions with a three-handed dialogue about retro sexual misunderstandings in the last third. Babygirl is otherwise a smart and absorbing kinky entertainment until then. Still, Kidman sells it, as she does everything here, making Romy into one of the great psychosexual screen heroines — a shot straight to the pants in a movie moment where sexuality has been deprioritized for the sake of slogging, obligatory trauma narratives that seek to explain it."

Babygirl debuted on August 30, 2024, at the Venice International Film Festival and will officially release in theatres during Christmas on December 25, 2024.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 05, 2024 06:41 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).