Thanks so much for watching! If you've already seen Babygirl, let us know what you thought about it! Up next, check out our video analyzing the phenomenon of plot holes on screen (& why they don't really matter): ruclips.net/video/v0XnUx_NeOQ/video.html Or our most recent addition to our Sibling Struggles series all about the secret downsides of being the youngest sibling: ruclips.net/video/77Zhk7Tzn3s/video.html
In many films about affairs, the person who's been cheating is typically forgiven by their spouse, and they remain together, with little to no drama. While this can happen in real life, it probably wouldn't go as smoothly.
That movie Unfaithful with Diane Lane. Husband literally kills the lover and then husband and wife live peacefully ever after like an affair and murder never happened.
@@melodazzzethey don’t it’s actually implied in the end that the man turns himself in as they stop at the lights near the police station on the last shot and the car remains there when the film ends
It is very different when you are in a long term marriage. If you have a strong enough foundation and decades invested, you can move past something like an affair if you both put the work in together. The ending of Babygirl felt very real to me.
Spoilers: At the end6, could the black Labrador was the same one in the beginning? Explaining that Esme, the employee, and Samuel, the intern, have planned the whole thing. Why else would Samuel tell anyone else about their relationship, even after saying he never cared about ruining her with their secrets? She was the mastermind all along. Esme got promoted. She probably knows alot about her employer, Romy. Even if the dog wasn't exactly the same, the plot twist could still applied.
This is NOT an erotic thriller. We were initially disappointed when watching it under that premise, but recalibrated it as a character study, well executed by Nicole Kidman - as someone seeking something missing. In her life. The aspect too often neglected is her husband’s (Antonio Banderas’) way of responding, and the place where this couple lands. The film says a lot about rising to business and social status, losing something in the process, and trying to gain it later in life.
THIS ! I feel like I would’ve enjoyed the movie more if they hadn’t labeled it an erotic thriller. I was looking for elements that just weren’t there and ended up dissatisfied! Kind of like Kidman’s marriage 🤪
Erotic thriller. Ew. Why do you want sex and violence? Do you realise this is a very new phenomenon and its doing society no favours. Normalising sexual violence for entertainment? What could go wrong! Literally creating a demand for sexual violence. Common sense doesn't exist in your world does it? I'm glad you were disappointed. No one wants to see that kind of media other than abnormal dangerous people like yourself. Luckily babylonian levels of sex positivity have the opposite effect than intended. Society becomes more A sexual. What a shame lol
A female friend of mine described it well: We both grew up having to take too much responsibility for ourselves and others, so our fantasy was someone taking responsibility for us.
I just watched and loved the movie. A lot to pack in. Ending could have various interpretations and they all are equally satisfying 1. Forgiven forgotten and husband making an effort to please her and she is happy 2. She fantasizes Samuel and is enjoying her time with husband more in the process 3. She has a win win situation which gives her more control and power and makes her happy hence
What hasn’t been mentioned is Hair Theory. She started our with her hair up with some side bangs to becoming half up half down when her affair started. Eventually she let all her hair down by the end of the movie signaling she reached full self acceptance
Same for me. I would never believe someone would want to reject Antonio Banderas, he is just too good. I think they should have chosen someone else. All I see is Antonio Banderas and Nicole Kidman, and if I can imagine her having power, I definitely can’t imagine Antonio being a pleaser, a soft person who can’t dominate. Even his profession in the movie is dominant - director. I think they should have chosen a softer person for this role
I think my favorite thing about the film is its refusal to give any answers. Does she deserve forgiveness? No answer. Can she and her husband truly bounce back? No answer. Is this something she has "conquered" or "fixed"? No answer. As said in the video, it's more of a study on power and characters' relationship to power, which I personally found much more interesting than an erotic thriller.
But there is an answer. You don’t have to spell it out to see in the end she was forgiven and everything ended up to her benefit. It’s a selfish movie.
@ im unsure how you can see it any other way because the ending was pretty obvious. everything fell back into place and became better as well. she seemed happier, more empowered, her husband is all smiles and giggles too.
This movie is ultimately about integrating one’s shadow-learning to accept the parts of ourselves, that we have kept suppressed whether consciously or unconsciously. Samuel, and the affair with him, serve as a mere catalyst for Romy’s journey toward this self-reckoning. Samuel entering her life at a moment when he tames a black dog is symbolic of him guiding Romy toward confronting and taming her own shadow.
More like failure to do so is causing her problems. There’s no way the trash who made this movie know about what doing that work is actually like. That’s why the movie feels hollow and empty lmao
@7ayin director has feet of clay or maybe was directing in retrenchment. i know what the movie was supposed to be about but not many in that business would have the courage to portray it.
"Milk is associated with innocence and fragility" sure but in this case it meant to be a degrading act, like an animal lapping up a drink from their owner.
I am surprised that you didn't mention the stereotype that people in a position of power, particularly a high powered job, secretly want to be controlled. I thought even outside BDSM circles people knew the trope of the high powered businessman who secretly goes to a dominatrix on the weekend? It's the same thing here, just with the genders reversed.
@@chuckm1961 It isn't obvious to everyone, especially people who watch bit sized content. They felt the need to mention that some people believe women secretly want to be controlled, so it seems even more noticeable that they neglected to mention a direct parallel.
@@trashbasket11 That doesn't suprise me. I think people prefer to think of more fringe scenarios/demographics so they don't have to think about average people being into unexpected things, or not like they assumed. Obviously no correlation between BDSM and SA but it's like how a lot of people prefer to believe that all pedophiles are large glasses wearing men with greasy thinning hair and an old fashioned wardrobe, it just isn't true but is more simple and less scary to believe.
In my humble opinion, Esme is the key to understanding the final message of the movie. How she deals with her knowledge of the affair felt different and pragmatic. I hate to bring up where we are right now in the world, but let's be honest; there are no good and bad guys anymore. There is just dealing with the situations we find ourselves in and not letting them overwhelm us. Should Romy have been punished? Was Michael Douglass ever punished in those half-dozen erotic thrillers where he cheated?
So many different and unique opinions of this film. I must say, I loved it. I felt her frustrations and vulnerability. I feel like Samuel helped awaken in her what she had been suppressing for a long time. I’m not saying it’s right but I am saying it makes you think. I definitely wanted more details, more of Samuel and who he was but I think it was meant to be elusive with him and more about Romy. The scene with him dancing to George Michael…. You either love it or hate it and I loved it. I love how comfortable they both appeared in that moment and how the dom/sub rolls kept switching between them like when he asked her to hold him. In the scene where he shows up to her daughter’s birthday party it was in that moment when you get to see her switch back to dominant and tell him, I don’t want you seeing other women, you are mine. I think it’s more relatable than what a lot of people want to admit. Just my two cents.
There is a very strong case that Esme and Samuel set up a honey trap on Romy. Esme knows personal details and has intimate access to Romy's personal life. As an end credits scene, there definitely could be an Ocean's 11 type flashback montage where they breakdown the con. However, the scene with Samuel and the dog in the hotel room at the end is Romy fantasizing and accessing her kink (via memories of her affair) without the actual physical assistance of Samuel. She can now orgasm with her husband because she is "unlocked".
To me the literal narrative of the movie is way less interesting than the symbolic one. The whole story could easily be a fanfiction written by Romy, and I believe THAT is the beauty of it. To deal with the themes of the movie irl is messy, complicated and not at all something linear or pristinely moral, and the movie respects that. It is a movie about knowing yourself and it includes fetishes and sexuality, not the other way around
Same. This falls into the category of old people exploring themselves. As someone who's getting older they all fall flat. I knew who I was ages ago. The problem was accepting it and all the limitations which comes with that. Not figuring out and basking in some new aspect of myself.
I think this movie is about giving permission to people to explore their desires and not be ashamed of them. While her relationship with her intern was objectively bad, it kinda grew out of a need that she wasn't correctly expressing to her husband and once the fallout happens, he actually listens to her.
I'm confused about the shame....if you cheat on the person you are married to, hell yeah there's gotta be some shame. I feel like the director conflates this with the shame a woman feels for experiencing erotic pleasure. If she wanted to explore that theme, it should have been a different context.
@@olivia-performanceartist3693 I feel like the intern was just a personified fantasy. Like having an intense affair in your head with a romance novel character, and so it wasn't explored as an affair.
I've just watched this movie and I disagree with most of what you've said. It's not an erotic thriller. It's a story about her relationship with her husband and children, as much as with Samuel. Power and vulnerability felt like the overriding themes, and yes there was sex but her particular kink was well foreshadowed by her childhood in a cult. Samuel didn't have any kinks. He was just exploring with her. She'd been married for 19 years and never had an orgasm with her husband. I know women who've had the same sex life. I think this movie speaks to the generation gap in beliefs around sex and what's 'normal'. I cried at the interaction with her daughter and was deeply touched when Samuel comforted her husband. This movie is so much more than an erotic thriller. I don't know who the scriptwriter is but they're amazing, and the acting was sublime. ❤
@@marniekilbourne608 oh that's so different to me! I'd love to hear what turned you off it. (I'm in a book club so we often disagree about books and I really like hearing others' perspectives).
@@whatbringsmepeace I agree with mostly all of what you said! To me, it wasn't a thriller at all. Even the power dynamics...I'm not sure about that. Yes, we have two people who start out in a very clear hierarchy, but I didn't feel like it was a huge point of conflict for Romy and Samuel. It was something that initiated their relationship, and they played around with it a lot, but it didn't feel actually exploitative or something down the road, more like something to be explored mutually and curiously.
The movie was boring and drawn out. It could not deliver on it's promises of erotica and taboo. The "erotic" scenes were ridiculous and laughable. Why does every film or TV show feel the need to inject trans or gay/queer characters for absolutely no apparent or obvious reason? I mean what was the point of the gay teen angst daughter? This film pales in comparison to it's contemporaries. Solid 2 out of 10. Try again Hollywood.
I enjoyed this film. We always get the older man and younger woman but this time it was reversed. It was nice to watch. The film did lack depth and plot but I still liked it.
This feels very dated. I get what it was trying to do, but it's like a Mad Men-esque plot full of cliches, forced into a modern day wanna-be erotic thriller. It doesn't really do any of it's themes well - not the commentary/critique on gender and power dynamics or the spicy thriller aspect.
it's about authenticity that doesn't fit neatly (if at all) into straight categories. in "babygirl" neither romy nor samuel got abused. who had more power is questionable and ambigious. a very good scene of a confrontation of samuel and jacob. a solid plot twist with esme - "the world needs role models" (we keep saying), but that's not who we are deep down. a surprisingly good movie & definitely felt like directed by a female (it's a compliment)
The milk stuff makes sense the way you described it, but in the movie the scene where she drinks milk in front of her colleagues happens first, so it just felt bizarre to me
It made perfect sense if you have an understanding of power-exchange relationships. Him sending her a drink typically associated with children, exerts his potential dominance over her. By drinking it, she agrees to his bid and offers her power. The fact it's all played out across a bar full of people is what makes it dangerous and hot.
In the scene near the end where Romy's husband walks in and catches her with Samuel ... I got a strange sense that Samuel could have taken control of both Romy and her husband .... mmmmm
“Something has to be at stake.” Unfortunately, Babygirl’s narrative lacked the necessary details in Romy’s character introduction for me to truly invest in her outcome. Perhaps experiencing a deeper interaction with Jacob early on to provide some groundwork regarding her dissatisfaction with their sex life/marriage, and her unique mother daughter connection with Isabel most likely would have given me cause to empathize with Romy’s plight. As it were, the relationship dynamics with Romy and her supporting characters failed to provide this viewer with a foundation on why Romy would play the radical high stakes game of risking both her family and career.
I gave it a try and was bored out of my mind... Couldn't finish it. Came here to find a new way to look at it and motivation to watch it until the end. Thank you for your work.
A24 movie are more about the experience of watching the films, than about an actual story as we are used to seeing them. I love how this small production company (along with various smaller indie companies) have helped me change the way I consume on-screen media. It has made it easier for me to enjoy stories that are different from what we're used to. Even better since many of their trappings are slipping over into the mainstream.
If it were a male CEO, yiu would have (rightly so) torn him to shreds for cheating and not facing any consequences. Yet Kidman gets a pass and handwave it away because of a character study? F cheaters, F the normalization of cheating in media, and F anyone who makes excuses for cheaters
It's not a normalisation, simply portraying it is not normalising, you americans need to stop feeling so literally. It's more realistic for nothing to happen to her cuz let's me honest, that's what happens irl.
Seems like this is too basic to have to explain, but here goes nothing. Human nature 101, buddy. People care the most about things that affect them personally. Women cheating doesn't directly affect me; I'm into men. I won't defend women cheating, and I won't tell you not to have your outrage towards women cheating, but if you're out here mad that you don't see women castigating the female character in the comments here, I think you need to curtail your narcissistic need to view a forum and see comments that share your view, homey. P.S. - if you want to be taken seriously by a larger proportion of the feminine population, do yourself a favor, and ditch that cringe Death Note pfp. Just some friendly advice.
This was just a recap of the film. You didn't explain the ending at all. Several things were hinted towards that it would have been helpful to address - did Esme hire Samuel in an elaborate scheme to get her promotion (Samuel appeared to own/train the dog that was going to attack Remy at the beginning of the film, and Esme's promotion featured heavily throughout); did Remy herself pay Samuel for the experience (she said to her boss that if she wants to be humiliated, she can pay someone). It would be helpful for 'The Take' to actually have a take. 🙄
I love how you listed the diferencies between 50 shades and This movie, they are the exact reason the BDSM community hates the books and the movies. It gave the misconception that submissives dont have any control, when in fact, they just have a different kind of control.
I found it interesting that Romi did not have any ground rules for herself that Samuel would agree to. Although Romi said, never come to my family's home ever again, but he kept breaking that rule. Samuel had his rule that she agreed to. I found it hard to trust Samuel because I did not know the boundaries/rules of their dynamic.
@@soyasibonnie but he respected it because he didn't go alone to her house again, he went as the boyfriend of the other woman... Idk, I feel like he couldn't have rejected to go to the birthday party because that would have been weird for his girlfriend. I agree that they didn't establish ground rules, they behaved like noobs
I haven’t watched this yet, but what are the odds the CEO and an intern would even be in the same place at the same time? Or that the CEO would even bother speaking to the intern at all?
I'm usually pretty on board with "The Take", but in this case, I feel like you misunderstood the film....this is not a thriller at all, at least to my watching. I never felt like Samuel was actually threatening Romy's situation, he just understood that this would be the deal that would invite her in. They very much are consenting and equal in the relationship, which makes it a study about tenderness, emotion, sexuality and intimacy. The great thing about the movie is that it is about the in-between-spaces, about nuance and humanity - on all sides, Romy's, Samuel's, and her family's. It tells a human story while also opening up discussions about contemporary discourses (ageism, sexism, power imbalances etc.)
Maybe I'm crazy but I did see all three Fifty Shades films and what I saw was although Christian TRIED to impose his ideal relationship on Ana, in the end their relationship becomes what ANA always wanted- vanilla. She's the one who gets the upper hand without 100% submitting to the relationship Christian wants. Did no one else see this?
I didnt see the final movie but I did read the books. They continúe to have the D/s relationship in the books, getting married and having children. Does the movie end differently?
@@TheLudmilita they did continue bdsm in movies too. The point is he refused to have anything other than bdsm in begining, Anna caved in but later they do have vanilla relationship with little bit of bdsm but primarily vanilla complete with marriage and kids
This movie is one of the worst movies I have ever seen. The characters don't have enough depth an there is zero chemistry between Kidman and whoever that younger guy is. None and he has a boring an repulsive personality. NOT a guy I'm risking my job an marriage for. "Unfaithful" with Diane Lane, Richard Gere and that French actor who name escapes me is a much better movie. That affair was believable and you can see why she risks so much.
Cheating isn't about chemistry though. It's about the thrill and excitement that comes with it. She feels empty and unfulfilled in the beginning which leads her to cheat. He is "boring" by your standards but he gives her something she needs. This movie is about Nicoles Character, not the cheating itself
Come on, too much talk about a simple, but so common fact, yet still unadressed in our era, that many women don't experience sexual satisfaction with their life long partners. At work they are brilliant, and in private they crave affection and someone to know the female body. Samuel seems to me an unreal character, he is too young and I don't understand what he is looking for. But good for her that she finally understands her body and can explain to her husband her needs. She is a very healthy woman.
5:26 That's not always true. Often times when the woman it's older going after a younger guy, the guy is inexperienced and the woman is the aggressor. How it can it framed as a conquest for the guy if it is also acknowledged that sometimes he may not even enjoy the experience? 7:43 I find this analysis interesting because we don't see this as a problem (nor do I) but there is always heavy critique on the "manic pixie dream girl" trope. Would this not be the same thing but in male form?
@@en2336wedding crashers sort of has a scenario like that. It's played for laughs, but the older woman is definitely the aggressor in that scenario, making the younger man uncomfortable.
As a young man who used to date older women, I was almost always the one with more experience. The older women I dated were often recently divorced/separated and had very little experience because they started their long-term relationships when they were very young. I didn't start dating until my mid-twenties, and I still had more experience than most of the older women I dated. For many, it was their first time dating in nearly 20 years.
The film Baby Girl unintentionally exposes a recurring issue with how women are often portrayed-and in many cases, how they operate-in business. It leans heavily on narrative flair, drama, and style over substance. There’s a tendency, both in media and real life, to confuse storytelling and aesthetic with actual business acumen. Many women in corporate settings appear more focused on performing a role-dressing the part, adopting corporate lingo, and creating a storyline-than on mastering the brutal, unsentimental logic of the market. The truth is, the market doesn’t reward drama or self-mythologizing; it rewards those who can deliver the best product at the best price to the broadest audience. Yet the visions many women build their careers around-glamorous, elevated, emotionally satisfying-are often fundamentally misaligned with the ruthless efficiency that capitalism demands. Baby Girl presents a supposedly powerful businesswoman, yet offers no clarity on what her business does, how it competes, or why she’s successful-only a glitzy, sanitized origin story more suited to Sex and the City than The Big Short. For me, this film reinforced the uncomfortable reality that a great deal of what’s celebrated as female ambition in professional life lacks the grounding in strategy, competition, and value creation that true success requires.
I haven't seen this movie but there's a world of dominant/submissive roll playing called "Baby Girls and Daddy Doms" Doms stands for dominants of course. I was introduced to it over 10 yrs ago by a business woman. She wanted me to ultimately be her "Daddy" on a daily basis as part of a 24/7 relationship but i didn't think it was good for our mental health and i think she was pretty far gone into it. She said i was really good at it.. which i was.. but honestly... NO ONE in this entire comments section that i've seen knows what "baby girl" is really supposed to mean. Because he treats her like a dog.. people think it's some kind of "furry" type of deal... even the video itself has no clue. Thing is.. you can't make a movie about it because it would mostly be a porno... not a "Thriller".. UNLESS you throw in cheating. The baby girl / daddy dom roll playing isn't supposed to be for cheaters.. it's literally supposed to be a version of a relationship where you 100% give yourself to being a submissive or a dominant. It's for women who LOVE being submissive and told what to do and for men who LOVE being Dominant and telling women what to do. It has nothing to do with babies. Some people include some mild "punishments" for not obeying and some get way more extreme. It's all decided by the couple who decides to enter into such a relationship. The whole thing. (Baby girls and Daddy doms) would make a better DOCUMENTARY than a film in all honesty. The psychology of it all is pretty fascinating. it can get EXTREMELY INTENSE. This movie on the other hand seems pretty ridiculous to me... knowing what baby girl's are SUPPOSED TO BE within that world.
The French Dispatch, directed by Wes Anderson. This anthology comedy film includes this second segment starring Timothèe Chalamet and Frances McDormand.
Why nobody is talking about the first encounter where the guy saves her from the dog? Doesn’t this cliche undermine the whole point that the movie is trying to make?
I don’t understand the empowerment to cheat but not the empowerment to idk go to therapy, get a divorce or just try to fix your current relationship. But nah let’s romanticize affairs because that’s soo innovative
You don't understand why Unfaithful with realistic and baby girls not what obtuse person would say about that is this Harrison Dickerson is much more sexually attractive is attractiveness isn't on the outside it's on the inside he's deep and he knows a lot for his 29 years of age I find the movie erotic arousing and informative
People that don't really understand sensual sexuality shouldn't even have a place to speak on this channel baby girl explores a woman's creative and untapped resource
I think a lot of people miss one key element in Romy' story which is that she mentions at the beginning of the film that she was raised in a cult - and named by a guru. We can whether overlook this element and think maybe she was not saying the truth, or take it as the cornerstone of the entire plot. There is only one step between children being raised in cults and them being sexually molested. My take is that Romy is experiencing "traumatic arousal" due to the traumatic memory she has not resolved from being raped as a child. That explains why she now feels aroused by violent sex and being treated like a "babygirl". I wish that aspect were more developed in the movie because I think it is the crux of the whole plot.
Samuel is a magic character. He is a plot device. He has a psychic ability to know the needs of the other person (or dog, lol) and to meet those needs. If you will notice it started with the dog, and he also does this with the husband. He helps the husband to really understand his wife. In real life you have to spend a lot of time to get to know a person and what their needs are, and also it would be more likely be present in an older more experienced person. But that would have made for a long movie. The Samuel character enables the movie to get right to the point which to accept ourselves, and to be able to share our real selves and desires in our most intimate relationships. Like when she said that "Something is wrong with me." She has to learn that nothing was wrong with herself. She just likes what she likes and it may not be what your conscience self wants to project. But you have to share that part of you if you want a deep and real relationship.
Awesome... yet another movie about a woman cheating on her husband because it's "exciting". But its ok because {insert BS reason} and everything will be ok and she will be forgiven.
I haven't seen this movie but there's a world of dominant/submissive roll playing called "Baby Girls and Daddy Doms" Doms for dominants. I was introduced to it over 10 yrs ago by a business woman. She wanted me to ultimately by her "Daddy" on a daily basis but i didn't think it was good for our mental health and i think she was pretty far gone into it. She said i was really good at it.. which i was.. but honestly... NO ONE in this entire comments section that i've seen knows what "baby girl" is really supposed to mean. Because he treats her like a dog.. people think it's some kind of "furry" type of deal... even the video itself has no clue. Thing is.. you can't make a movie about it because it would be boring.. UNLESS you throw in cheating. The baby girl / daddy dom roll playing isn't supposed to be for cheaters.. it's literally supposed to be a version of a relationship where you 100% give yourself to being a submissive and a dominant. It's for people who LOVE being submissive and told what to do and for men who LOVE being Dominant. It has nothing to do with babies.
@ShotOnChristmas idk if you have a daughter or not. The words baby girl have and always will only refer to my daughter as a baby aka my baby girl. I didn't think it was about actual babies, but to even call it that is discusting. If you are with a grown woman who wants to call you daddy while you do sex there is something gross there. I had a girl say she wanted to feel like she is being R aped and I left instantly.
Not saying that it's feminist, cause I think it isn't. But, what's "not feminist" about a CEO getting sexually dominated by her intern? Can't feminists fantasize about being dominated and then act that out?
Spoilers: At the end, could the black Labrador was the same one in the beginning? Explaining that Esme, the employee, and Samuel, the intern, have planned the whole thing. 😅 Why else would Samuel tell anyone else about their relationship, even after saying he never cared about ruining her with their secrets? She was the mastermind all along. Esme got promoted. 😮 She probably knows alot about her employer, Romy. Even if the dog wasn't exactly the same, the plot twist could still applied.😮😂
I don't agree at all. As we know, Samuel has moved to Tokyo, but is shown in the hotel room in New York. This isn't happening in the real world, but in her fantasy. Romy fantasizes being with Samuel in the position of the dog - a scene which has actually happened - while being with her husband. In Germany we've a song about that - Die Gedanken sind frei
I think that could be true because in my opinion Esme was dominant to Samuel,just as Samuel was to Romy. I mean Samuel even told Romy that he likes Esme in a different way to her because she makes him feel more of himself. This film has a lot of submission and dominance all over. Even Romys husband is submits to his wife in the end
@tourist06 it's just my thoughts based from the fact that Samuel told Esme about them(I mean how would have Esme known about their relationship) I mean she wouldn't have risked it all based on a hunch
The movie wasn't good. Nicole Kidman is stiff and disconnected in almost every role she plays. Here was no exception. And of course, the younger guy had to be totally buffed and confident sexually. The tropes were troping. The movie did little to get beyond every stereotype.
This movie was utter trash. Maybe I'm not the target demographic, but the message in this movie is absolutely terrible. The mother is a cheater, and the daughter is a cheater, yet they get no comeuppance in the end, making this movie extremely unsatisfying and having a horrible message. There is a reason why cheaters are often showed getting punished, and it is because they DESERVE it. Without it, it feels like the message is that it's okay to "explore yourself" AKA, Cheat, and it will all work out in the end or that it's not wrong. It almost feels like it is trying to normalize cheating, which we do NOT need more of. Additionally, Samuel is AWFUL. He is supposed to be sexy, but he comes off as anything but. I am attracted to men and am very submissive, but he was the complete opposite of attractive to me. His voice lines are dry, low energy, and makes him come off as socially inept and quite frankly, autistic. How anyone could find this dry husk of a man attractive enough to cheat on with is beyond me. He cant even hold a normal conversation without sounding like he is bored out of his mind and comes off like the personality of a disgusting redditor or discord mod. The main character is unlikable and never receives justice for her actions, and the movie tries to portray her as just exploring herself when she deserves punishment for what she did. The movie tries to make it seem like their relationship is "abusive" when it is anything but. These are both grown ass adults who fully knew what they were doing. They deserve the full wrath of the consequences. The only good people in this movie to watch was the husband, the dancing younger daughter, and the black women coworker. Every other charachter was disgusting, awful, and utterly hatable. 0/10, would never reccomend.
Your comment about Samuel coming off as autistic is extremely ableist. You’d be suprised by how many autistic people belong to the bdsm community, being both dominants and submissives.
I have not seen this film. What I found quite jarring about the trailer, is something you repeat several times in this video too. That Samuel, the low level intern, has the power to manipulate Romy and destroy both her career and private life? Yeah, I think we can be certain that that is absolutely not how things would play out in real life.
Please explain, i really liked the scene but I didn't get it. I liked the music score which was delicious and the whole choreography with Samuel and the dog.
Dare I say as I get older you miss the wild sexuality of your earlier life and it is increasingly harder to be in a long term relationship with a partner and maintain what you use to have. Then you meet a new person in your life and that spark is rekindled. You risk it all for sex. A story as old as time for men or women. Its just been updated to modern times. No shade here.
I feel like this was more of a romcom, but without much comedy. Halfway through the movie I was begging for it not to add more thriller and horrible crazy ending with punishment. Because it didn't feel like this deadly lust and manipulation, film noir kind of demise. It was real intimacy with both characters exploring something about themself, being vulnerable and gentle to each other, well not without power play. In the end it felt much more emotional, than steamy, much more melodramatic then thrilling. And I kinda like that
I'm here for a different reason - I just wanted to see if Harris Dickinson has the potential to become the next James Bond. Having watched this video, I can see that potential, after someone suggested him as one of the few actors who could play the British "superspy" - he's the right age (28 as of April 2025), height & frame (not too muscular). I say this having thought that Theo James could play the role. I wouldn't mind either of them as 007, actually.
I, being a student of human behavior, and always wanting to know why people are the way they are, was very disappointed when they didn’t explain her need to be dominated sexually. I was hoping they would unearth some childhood trauma. The conclusion felt empty and dissatisfying
Firstly- the idea is not original. There is a Swedish mini series on Netflix called love and anarchy which is beautiful deep and well done. This movie is wrong on so many levels. And is badly made as the characters are one note. Maybe if they had depth and chemistry the story would be forgiven but unfortunately all i could see is toxic behaviour. Even Nicole couldn't save it. And im personally super angry because i do engage in bdsm and what they have showed is not a healthy expression of it. The healthy bdsm is safe sane and consensual- they showed totally opposite to that. But a regular person will not now it and link kink with unhealthy obsession. Ok not every movie have to be morally ok - but if you go into controversy at least make it good and believable
Finally a comment I can agree with, like the characters had NO chemistry in my opinion and the ml was so emotionless and flat all the time I just couldn't connect with the whole thing
Bad casting! All we see is Nicole and Antonio. We would never believe that Antonio is unable to be dominant. We saw him dominant in a lot of movies before, what are you trying to make us believe there? If she would have cheated on him its only because this guy is younger! If you liked the movie or no, you will still think unconsciously that she chose this guy just cause he is younger, but weirdly movie is not about it. And if it is, then it's poorly made
Answer is PROBLEMATIC. she could have explored with her husband but she chooses to break their trust and be unfaithful. Disgusting how they’re trying to glorify this.
@@phenyo_sc I know right? I have an issue when you've been intimate with your partner but aren't able to open up about other things? like what? and even secrecy about the privacy of your phone. like nothing is private in my relationship. look through whatever you want. I dont care xD
One of the things I found interesting is that out of work he is like an English lad with the gold chain and hoodie, Nike’s etc. Then I find out he’s English. Interesting..
Personally i loved this movie. Nicole was a great pick for this role. This is simply about a married woman who misses some spice and dominance from her husband in the bedroom. And we have this younger man who can sense that. Off course she would give in!! This is a secret problem with many married woman out there, who are at times embarrassed to admit it. That whole scene in the hotelroom, is what i loved in particular.
yea but that's scumbag behavior just like the intern. Come on now. If married women are really like this deep down then perhaps there need to be more divorce filings happening because what kind of partner does that? How can it be embarrassing for her? when she cheated on her husband. smh
Not an erotic thriller! Yeah the movie wasn’t very interesting or entertaining or anything at all. Vague trappings of maybe what the person who made this views as some noirish avant guard, maybe trying to even be gritty?? Yeah it was vapid
Thanks so much for watching! If you've already seen Babygirl, let us know what you thought about it!
Up next, check out our video analyzing the phenomenon of plot holes on screen (& why they don't really matter): ruclips.net/video/v0XnUx_NeOQ/video.html
Or our most recent addition to our Sibling Struggles series all about the secret downsides of being the youngest sibling: ruclips.net/video/77Zhk7Tzn3s/video.html
In many films about affairs, the person who's been cheating is typically forgiven by their spouse, and they remain together, with little to no drama. While this can happen in real life, it probably wouldn't go as smoothly.
That movie Unfaithful with Diane Lane. Husband literally kills the lover and then husband and wife live peacefully ever after like an affair and murder never happened.
@@melodazzzethey don’t it’s actually implied in the end that the man turns himself in as they stop at the lights near the police station on the last shot and the car remains there when the film ends
It is very different when you are in a long term marriage. If you have a strong enough foundation and decades invested, you can move past something like an affair if you both put the work in together. The ending of Babygirl felt very real to me.
really? In most movies it ends in a desaster, as far as i remember... I was surprised that this one didn't...
Spoilers: At the end6, could the black Labrador was the same one in the beginning?
Explaining that Esme, the employee, and Samuel, the intern, have planned the whole thing. Why else would Samuel tell anyone else about their relationship, even after saying he never cared about ruining her with their secrets? She was the mastermind all along. Esme got promoted.
She probably knows alot about her employer, Romy. Even if the dog wasn't exactly the same, the plot twist could still applied.
This is NOT an erotic thriller. We were initially disappointed when watching it under that premise, but recalibrated it as a character study, well executed by Nicole Kidman - as someone seeking something missing. In her life. The aspect too often neglected is her husband’s (Antonio Banderas’) way of responding, and the place where this couple lands. The film says a lot about rising to business and social status, losing something in the process, and trying to gain it later in life.
THIS ! I feel like I would’ve enjoyed the movie more if they hadn’t labeled it an erotic thriller. I was looking for elements that just weren’t there and ended up dissatisfied! Kind of like Kidman’s marriage 🤪
Erotic thriller. Ew. Why do you want sex and violence? Do you realise this is a very new phenomenon and its doing society no favours. Normalising sexual violence for entertainment? What could go wrong! Literally creating a demand for sexual violence. Common sense doesn't exist in your world does it? I'm glad you were disappointed. No one wants to see that kind of media other than abnormal dangerous people like yourself. Luckily babylonian levels of sex positivity have the opposite effect than intended. Society becomes more A sexual. What a shame lol
I agree..I did not feel any thriller like thrills here;)I also agree that the huband's part was significantly affecting Romy's desire to escape.
I went there expecting to see an erotic thriller and left just realizing how much I still love Nicole Kidman
You guys are gross watching a movie about cheating and lust that is called baby girl. I hope none of you have kids.
A female friend of mine described it well: We both grew up having to take too much responsibility for ourselves and others, so our fantasy was someone taking responsibility for us.
That's female nature, an escape from accountablity. It's the Garden of Eden story. The guy is even named Samael, one of the names of Satan.
That’s just woman fitting into the feminine role rather than a desire to forgo responsibility
Not everyone's experience or desire.
I just watched and loved the movie. A lot to pack in. Ending could have various interpretations and they all are equally satisfying
1. Forgiven forgotten and husband making an effort to please her and she is happy
2. She fantasizes Samuel and is enjoying her time with husband more in the process
3. She has a win win situation which gives her more control and power and makes her happy hence
Mentally disabled people, sure lol
What hasn’t been mentioned is Hair Theory. She started our with her hair up with some side bangs to becoming half up half down when her affair started. Eventually she let all her hair down by the end of the movie signaling she reached full self acceptance
Nice thought. I never thought of it that way
It’s not a bad movie but something with this film is not convincing enough for me to fully surrender to this story.
Same for me. I would never believe someone would want to reject Antonio Banderas, he is just too good. I think they should have chosen someone else. All I see is Antonio Banderas and Nicole Kidman, and if I can imagine her having power, I definitely can’t imagine Antonio being a pleaser, a soft person who can’t dominate. Even his profession in the movie is dominant - director. I think they should have chosen a softer person for this role
This
@@teamLewis44I’d take the young chap over Antonio any day. And I’m 49
@@21chchagree
The young man seems assexual ! Not sexy, not sensual…! Nothing. Could be international?
I think my favorite thing about the film is its refusal to give any answers. Does she deserve forgiveness? No answer. Can she and her husband truly bounce back? No answer. Is this something she has "conquered" or "fixed"? No answer. As said in the video, it's more of a study on power and characters' relationship to power, which I personally found much more interesting than an erotic thriller.
100% agree
They did seem to bounce back though...
But there is an answer. You don’t have to spell it out to see in the end she was forgiven and everything ended up to her benefit. It’s a selfish movie.
@@bellflowerchuu I respect your opinion. Agree to disagree.
@ im unsure how you can see it any other way because the ending was pretty obvious. everything fell back into place and became better as well. she seemed happier, more empowered, her husband is all smiles and giggles too.
This movie is ultimately about integrating one’s shadow-learning to accept the parts of ourselves, that we have kept suppressed whether consciously or unconsciously. Samuel, and the affair with him, serve as a mere catalyst for Romy’s journey toward this self-reckoning. Samuel entering her life at a moment when he tames a black dog is symbolic of him guiding Romy toward confronting and taming her own shadow.
More like failure to do so is causing her problems. There’s no way the trash who made this movie know about what doing that work is actually like. That’s why the movie feels hollow and empty lmao
@7ayin director has feet of clay or maybe was directing in retrenchment. i know what the movie was supposed to be about but not many in that business would have the courage to portray it.
"Milk is associated with innocence and fragility" sure but in this case it meant to be a degrading act, like an animal lapping up a drink from their owner.
Yeah I don't think the person that made this video understands bdsm and degradation kinks
In the movie, Harrison's character compares them to children playing. A glass of milk can also be childlike. It could be a reference to that
The owner feels very glad to feed their pet. It's not degrading.
Two things can be true. The film can depict varying levels of degradation or subservience, and the milk can still be a symbol of innocence.
@@carlahaiduk1878 When it is an animal yes, when it is a human roleplaying the intent is very different.
I am surprised that you didn't mention the stereotype that people in a position of power, particularly a high powered job, secretly want to be controlled.
I thought even outside BDSM circles people knew the trope of the high powered businessman who secretly goes to a dominatrix on the weekend? It's the same thing here, just with the genders reversed.
Right!
Yes, I think they didn’t mention it because it’s childishly obvious and imbedded in the entire discussion, without having to explicitly state it.
Recent studies in bdsm are showing that to be a myth.
@@chuckm1961 It isn't obvious to everyone, especially people who watch bit sized content. They felt the need to mention that some people believe women secretly want to be controlled, so it seems even more noticeable that they neglected to mention a direct parallel.
@@trashbasket11 That doesn't suprise me. I think people prefer to think of more fringe scenarios/demographics so they don't have to think about average people being into unexpected things, or not like they assumed.
Obviously no correlation between BDSM and SA but it's like how a lot of people prefer to believe that all pedophiles are large glasses wearing men with greasy thinning hair and an old fashioned wardrobe, it just isn't true but is more simple and less scary to believe.
The absolute nerve of this movie trying to imply Thee Antonio Banderas is in some way unappealing or inadequate 😂
In my humble opinion, Esme is the key to understanding the final message of the movie. How she deals with her knowledge of the affair felt different and pragmatic. I hate to bring up where we are right now in the world, but let's be honest; there are no good and bad guys anymore. There is just dealing with the situations we find ourselves in and not letting them overwhelm us. Should Romy have been punished? Was Michael Douglass ever punished in those half-dozen erotic thrillers where he cheated?
Good point!
So many different and unique opinions of this film. I must say, I loved it. I felt her frustrations and vulnerability. I feel like Samuel helped awaken in her what she had been suppressing for a long time. I’m not saying it’s right but I am saying it makes you think. I definitely wanted more details, more of Samuel and who he was but I think it was meant to be elusive with him and more about Romy. The scene with him dancing to George Michael…. You either love it or hate it and I loved it. I love how comfortable they both appeared in that moment and how the dom/sub rolls kept switching between them like when he asked her to hold him. In the scene where he shows up to her daughter’s birthday party it was in that moment when you get to see her switch back to dominant and tell him, I don’t want you seeing other women, you are mine. I think it’s more relatable than what a lot of people want to admit. Just my two cents.
There is a very strong case that Esme and Samuel set up a honey trap on Romy.
Esme knows personal details and has intimate access to Romy's personal life.
As an end credits scene, there definitely could be an Ocean's 11 type flashback montage where they breakdown the con.
However, the scene with Samuel and the dog in the hotel room at the end is Romy fantasizing and accessing her kink (via memories of her affair) without the actual physical assistance of Samuel. She can now orgasm with her husband because she is "unlocked".
To me the literal narrative of the movie is way less interesting than the symbolic one. The whole story could easily be a fanfiction written by Romy, and I believe THAT is the beauty of it. To deal with the themes of the movie irl is messy, complicated and not at all something linear or pristinely moral, and the movie respects that. It is a movie about knowing yourself and it includes fetishes and sexuality, not the other way around
I hate this film so much.
Same
Same. This falls into the category of old people exploring themselves. As someone who's getting older they all fall flat. I knew who I was ages ago. The problem was accepting it and all the limitations which comes with that. Not figuring out and basking in some new aspect of myself.
Same, boring ass movie
That scene with Antonio Banderas breaking down in the end...lets talk about that scene 😰
I think this movie is about giving permission to people to explore their desires and not be ashamed of them. While her relationship with her intern was objectively bad, it kinda grew out of a need that she wasn't correctly expressing to her husband and once the fallout happens, he actually listens to her.
I'm confused about the shame....if you cheat on the person you are married to, hell yeah there's gotta be some shame. I feel like the director conflates this with the shame a woman feels for experiencing erotic pleasure. If she wanted to explore that theme, it should have been a different context.
@@olivia-performanceartist3693 I feel like the intern was just a personified fantasy. Like having an intense affair in your head with a romance novel character, and so it wasn't explored as an affair.
So you saying cheating is ok lmao u can’t make this shit up 😂 thank god I will never get married
@@thirstwithoutborders995seek help
The whole time I was like, Romi is rich AF, why can't she take a vacation and hire a he-dom far away and keep it out of the office.
I miss the older woman I dated years ago. Had I been a wiser man, I would have stayed.
I mean you can still date older lmao
@@run4508 lmao it's not like all older women are the same but maybe you can't see that
@@run4508 But not that woman
@@run4508 but they miss that specific woman so it won’t be the same
you were probably a victim
I've just watched this movie and I disagree with most of what you've said. It's not an erotic thriller. It's a story about her relationship with her husband and children, as much as with Samuel. Power and vulnerability felt like the overriding themes, and yes there was sex but her particular kink was well foreshadowed by her childhood in a cult. Samuel didn't have any kinks. He was just exploring with her. She'd been married for 19 years and never had an orgasm with her husband. I know women who've had the same sex life. I think this movie speaks to the generation gap in beliefs around sex and what's 'normal'. I cried at the interaction with her daughter and was deeply touched when Samuel comforted her husband. This movie is so much more than an erotic thriller. I don't know who the scriptwriter is but they're amazing, and the acting was sublime. ❤
The scriptwriter is the director!!!!! Halina Rejin!!!!! shes amazing!!
No to most of that.
@@franciaaguilar1568 I disagree so much. This movie was awful in everyway even with some well known talent.
@@marniekilbourne608 oh that's so different to me! I'd love to hear what turned you off it. (I'm in a book club so we often disagree about books and I really like hearing others' perspectives).
@@whatbringsmepeace I agree with mostly all of what you said! To me, it wasn't a thriller at all.
Even the power dynamics...I'm not sure about that. Yes, we have two people who start out in a very clear hierarchy, but I didn't feel like it was a huge point of conflict for Romy and Samuel. It was something that initiated their relationship, and they played around with it a lot, but it didn't feel actually exploitative or something down the road, more like something to be explored mutually and curiously.
The movie was boring and drawn out. It could not deliver on it's promises of erotica and taboo. The "erotic" scenes were ridiculous and laughable. Why does every film or TV show feel the need to inject trans or gay/queer characters for absolutely no apparent or obvious reason? I mean what was the point of the gay teen angst daughter? This film pales in comparison to it's contemporaries. Solid 2 out of 10. Try again Hollywood.
agree
I enjoyed this film. We always get the older man and younger woman but this time it was reversed. It was nice to watch. The film did lack depth and plot but I still liked it.
It was erotic.. but definitely no thriller
Hmm
Had zero plot line
agree
@@stephenhowe1871 Its about the characters
This feels very dated. I get what it was trying to do, but it's like a Mad Men-esque plot full of cliches, forced into a modern day wanna-be erotic thriller. It doesn't really do any of it's themes well - not the commentary/critique on gender and power dynamics or the spicy thriller aspect.
I hate how clear movies look now it looks like one huge ad
That is the point of the film.
So true. ngl I kinda miss the nostalgic effect of the 90's - 2000's movies.
the H&M ad was really obvious lol
it's not because of clarity it is because for some reason they really decided to film it in 16:9
The Nancy’s yogurt or whatever that Antonio is eating one one scene was a ridiculously obvious ad lol
it's about authenticity that doesn't fit neatly (if at all) into straight categories.
in "babygirl" neither romy nor samuel got abused. who had more power is questionable and ambigious. a very good scene of a confrontation of samuel and jacob. a solid plot twist with esme - "the world needs role models" (we keep saying), but that's not who we are deep down.
a surprisingly good movie & definitely felt like directed by a female (it's a compliment)
The milk stuff makes sense the way you described it, but in the movie the scene where she drinks milk in front of her colleagues happens first, so it just felt bizarre to me
It made perfect sense if you have an understanding of power-exchange relationships. Him sending her a drink typically associated with children, exerts his potential dominance over her. By drinking it, she agrees to his bid and offers her power. The fact it's all played out across a bar full of people is what makes it dangerous and hot.
@@shannonbritton-jones8486yes!
Jezz, i cant hear the words babygirl anymore. It reminds of a horrible movie that i am trying so hard to forget. 😞
What happened to that baby girl? Did she get lost?
@Zikomo7 Yeah, and then she married a psycho and almost died like 10 times. Really messed up.
Baby gorilla
Hmmmm
Sameeee lol
In the scene near the end where Romy's husband walks in and catches her with Samuel ... I got a strange sense that Samuel could have taken control of both Romy and her husband .... mmmmm
He could have had he wanted to.
“Something has to be at stake.” Unfortunately, Babygirl’s narrative lacked the necessary details in Romy’s character introduction for me to truly invest in her outcome. Perhaps experiencing a deeper interaction with Jacob early on to provide some groundwork regarding her dissatisfaction with their sex life/marriage, and her unique mother daughter connection with Isabel most likely would have given me cause to empathize with Romy’s plight. As it were, the relationship dynamics with Romy and her supporting characters failed to provide this viewer with a foundation on why Romy would play the radical high stakes game of risking both her family and career.
I gave it a try and was bored out of my mind... Couldn't finish it. Came here to find a new way to look at it and motivation to watch it until the end. Thank you for your work.
A24 movie are more about the experience of watching the films, than about an actual story as we are used to seeing them. I love how this small production company (along with various smaller indie companies) have helped me change the way I consume on-screen media. It has made it easier for me to enjoy stories that are different from what we're used to. Even better since many of their trappings are slipping over into the mainstream.
totally agreed
Love A24
If it were a male CEO, yiu would have (rightly so) torn him to shreds for cheating and not facing any consequences. Yet Kidman gets a pass and handwave it away because of a character study? F cheaters, F the normalization of cheating in media, and F anyone who makes excuses for cheaters
Lol
It's not a normalisation, simply portraying it is not normalising, you americans need to stop feeling so literally. It's more realistic for nothing to happen to her cuz let's me honest, that's what happens irl.
Seems like this is too basic to have to explain, but here goes nothing. Human nature 101, buddy. People care the most about things that affect them personally.
Women cheating doesn't directly affect me; I'm into men. I won't defend women cheating, and I won't tell you not to have your outrage towards women cheating, but if you're out here mad that you don't see women castigating the female character in the comments here, I think you need to curtail your narcissistic need to view a forum and see comments that share your view, homey.
P.S. - if you want to be taken seriously by a larger proportion of the feminine population, do yourself a favor, and ditch that cringe Death Note pfp. Just some friendly advice.
what the hell... whats happening with you ? lots of movies are about that exact scenario you described...
@squirrel-e7j yes, and every reviewer ever rightfully calls out what a shitstain the cheating male CEO. Curiously missing in this one
This was just a recap of the film. You didn't explain the ending at all.
Several things were hinted towards that it would have been helpful to address - did Esme hire Samuel in an elaborate scheme to get her promotion (Samuel appeared to own/train the dog that was going to attack Remy at the beginning of the film, and Esme's promotion featured heavily throughout); did Remy herself pay Samuel for the experience (she said to her boss that if she wants to be humiliated, she can pay someone).
It would be helpful for 'The Take' to actually have a take.
🙄
I love how you listed the diferencies between 50 shades and This movie, they are the exact reason the BDSM community hates the books and the movies. It gave the misconception that submissives dont have any control, when in fact, they just have a different kind of control.
I found it interesting that Romi did not have any ground rules for herself that Samuel would agree to. Although Romi said, never come to my family's home ever again, but he kept breaking that rule. Samuel had his rule that she agreed to. I found it hard to trust Samuel because I did not know the boundaries/rules of their dynamic.
True sub doesn't control shit.
@@n0simpathy304 like I said, it's a misconception... if you think that's true, it means you don't know anything about BDSM
@@soyasibonnie but he respected it because he didn't go alone to her house again, he went as the boyfriend of the other woman... Idk, I feel like he couldn't have rejected to go to the birthday party because that would have been weird for his girlfriend. I agree that they didn't establish ground rules, they behaved like noobs
I haven’t watched this yet, but what are the odds the CEO and an intern would even be in the same place at the same time? Or that the CEO would even bother speaking to the intern at all?
If he looks Like that…
Well if u watched it, its answered there. Their interactions were first forced
I can't lie. I watched it but I cringed the entire time.
It was very cringe but intriguing
One of Nicole Kidman's daughters is played by Esther McGregor, whose father, Ewan McGregor, starred with Kidman in "Moulin Rouge."
Nepotism at its finest! But she was good, I liked how she played her character.
Wow I didn't know ,I love the movie moulin rouge ❤
And her dad Ewan is a cheater (cheated on her mom with Mary Elizabeth winstead)
@@Em35nycMight be why they chose her.
I'm usually pretty on board with "The Take", but in this case, I feel like you misunderstood the film....this is not a thriller at all, at least to my watching. I never felt like Samuel was actually threatening Romy's situation, he just understood that this would be the deal that would invite her in. They very much are consenting and equal in the relationship, which makes it a study about tenderness, emotion, sexuality and intimacy. The great thing about the movie is that it is about the in-between-spaces, about nuance and humanity - on all sides, Romy's, Samuel's, and her family's. It tells a human story while also opening up discussions about contemporary discourses (ageism, sexism, power imbalances etc.)
I also didn’t like his immaturity, and not because he’s 28, certain scenes definitely annoyed me
PLEASE do a video on Nosferatu!!!!
I'm on my 30s. I hated the movie. It was not thrilling and the sex scenes are so cringe and awkward.
It’s not your kink- for anymore submissive it’s hot
The sex scenes were supposed to be cringe and awkward. This movie is a character study, a film about exploration, not a thrilling soft porn.
In five years no one will even remember this one
In 5 months no one will absolute dross
Maybe I'm crazy but I did see all three Fifty Shades films and what I saw was although Christian TRIED to impose his ideal relationship on Ana, in the end their relationship becomes what ANA always wanted- vanilla. She's the one who gets the upper hand without 100% submitting to the relationship Christian wants. Did no one else see this?
Because it’s feminist propaganda that’s why
@lonellfletcher I got the same impression from 50 shades. It definitely wasn’t Christian who was in power.
Ans that's why its so popular with female audience despite the problematic stuff
I didnt see the final movie but I did read the books. They continúe to have the D/s relationship in the books, getting married and having children. Does the movie end differently?
@@TheLudmilita they did continue bdsm in movies too.
The point is he refused to have anything other than bdsm in begining, Anna caved in but later they do have vanilla relationship with little bit of bdsm but primarily vanilla complete with marriage and kids
This movie is one of the worst movies I have ever seen. The characters don't have enough depth an there is zero chemistry between Kidman and whoever that younger guy is. None and he has a boring an repulsive personality. NOT a guy I'm risking my job an marriage for. "Unfaithful" with Diane Lane, Richard Gere and that French actor who name escapes me is a much better movie. That affair was believable and you can see why she risks so much.
yep! Another overhyped "covid era" movie.
Complete disagree.
zero chemistry is crazyyy idk i think maybe this movie just wasnt meant for you
Cheating isn't about chemistry though. It's about the thrill and excitement that comes with it. She feels empty and unfulfilled in the beginning which leads her to cheat. He is "boring" by your standards but he gives her something she needs. This movie is about Nicoles Character, not the cheating itself
Deep down most women want a man to control them
Come on, too much talk about a simple, but so common fact, yet still unadressed in our era, that many women don't experience sexual satisfaction with their life long partners. At work they are brilliant, and in private they crave affection and someone to know the female body.
Samuel seems to me an unreal character, he is too young and I don't understand what he is looking for. But good for her that she finally understands her body and can explain to her husband her needs. She is a very healthy woman.
It’s a huge ego boost for him! What do you mean what is he looking for? She is a hot ceo
5:26 That's not always true. Often times when the woman it's older going after a younger guy, the guy is inexperienced and the woman is the aggressor. How it can it framed as a conquest for the guy if it is also acknowledged that sometimes he may not even enjoy the experience?
7:43 I find this analysis interesting because we don't see this as a problem (nor do I) but there is always heavy critique on the "manic pixie dream girl" trope. Would this not be the same thing but in male form?
What are some movies featuring the first scenario? I don't watch many romcoms
@@en2336wedding crashers sort of has a scenario like that. It's played for laughs, but the older woman is definitely the aggressor in that scenario, making the younger man uncomfortable.
As a young man who used to date older women, I was almost always the one with more experience. The older women I dated were often recently divorced/separated and had very little experience because they started their long-term relationships when they were very young. I didn't start dating until my mid-twenties, and I still had more experience than most of the older women I dated. For many, it was their first time dating in nearly 20 years.
@@en2336 I think "American Pie" and "The Graduates" are the most famous examples.
To me, this film is about connection wherever it happens, which is both problematic and empowering. I loved it.
The film Baby Girl unintentionally exposes a recurring issue with how women are often portrayed-and in many cases, how they operate-in business. It leans heavily on narrative flair, drama, and style over substance. There’s a tendency, both in media and real life, to confuse storytelling and aesthetic with actual business acumen. Many women in corporate settings appear more focused on performing a role-dressing the part, adopting corporate lingo, and creating a storyline-than on mastering the brutal, unsentimental logic of the market.
The truth is, the market doesn’t reward drama or self-mythologizing; it rewards those who can deliver the best product at the best price to the broadest audience. Yet the visions many women build their careers around-glamorous, elevated, emotionally satisfying-are often fundamentally misaligned with the ruthless efficiency that capitalism demands. Baby Girl presents a supposedly powerful businesswoman, yet offers no clarity on what her business does, how it competes, or why she’s successful-only a glitzy, sanitized origin story more suited to Sex and the City than The Big Short.
For me, this film reinforced the uncomfortable reality that a great deal of what’s celebrated as female ambition in professional life lacks the grounding in strategy, competition, and value creation that true success requires.
I haven't seen this movie but there's a world of dominant/submissive roll playing called "Baby Girls and Daddy Doms" Doms stands for dominants of course. I was introduced to it over 10 yrs ago by a business woman. She wanted me to ultimately be her "Daddy" on a daily basis as part of a 24/7 relationship but i didn't think it was good for our mental health and i think she was pretty far gone into it. She said i was really good at it.. which i was.. but honestly... NO ONE in this entire comments section that i've seen knows what "baby girl" is really supposed to mean. Because he treats her like a dog.. people think it's some kind of "furry" type of deal... even the video itself has no clue.
Thing is.. you can't make a movie about it because it would mostly be a porno... not a "Thriller".. UNLESS you throw in cheating.
The baby girl / daddy dom roll playing isn't supposed to be for cheaters.. it's literally supposed to be a version of a relationship where you 100% give yourself to being a submissive or a dominant. It's for women who LOVE being submissive and told what to do and for men who LOVE being Dominant and telling women what to do. It has nothing to do with babies. Some people include some mild "punishments" for not obeying and some get way more extreme. It's all decided by the couple who decides to enter into such a relationship.
The whole thing. (Baby girls and Daddy doms) would make a better DOCUMENTARY than a film in all honesty. The psychology of it all is pretty fascinating. it can get EXTREMELY INTENSE. This movie on the other hand seems pretty ridiculous to me... knowing what baby girl's are SUPPOSED TO BE within that world.
What is the name of the movie at 6:01?
The French Dispatch, directed by Wes Anderson. This anthology comedy film includes this second segment starring Timothèe Chalamet and Frances McDormand.
Why nobody is talking about the first encounter where the guy saves her from the dog? Doesn’t this cliche undermine the whole point that the movie is trying to make?
I don’t understand the empowerment to cheat but not the empowerment to idk go to therapy, get a divorce or just try to fix your current relationship. But nah let’s romanticize affairs because that’s soo innovative
You don't understand why Unfaithful with realistic and baby girls not what obtuse person would say about that is this Harrison Dickerson is much more sexually attractive is attractiveness isn't on the outside it's on the inside he's deep and he knows a lot for his 29 years of age I find the movie erotic arousing and informative
People that don't really understand sensual sexuality shouldn't even have a place to speak on this channel baby girl explores a woman's creative and untapped resource
She's a "narcissist" but he's a "psychopath", or, the other way around ....
I think a lot of people miss one key element in Romy' story which is that she mentions at the beginning of the film that she was raised in a cult - and named by a guru. We can whether overlook this element and think maybe she was not saying the truth, or take it as the cornerstone of the entire plot. There is only one step between children being raised in cults and them being sexually molested. My take is that Romy is experiencing "traumatic arousal" due to the traumatic memory she has not resolved from being raped as a child. That explains why she now feels aroused by violent sex and being treated like a "babygirl". I wish that aspect were more developed in the movie because I think it is the crux of the whole plot.
The movie is about how a director do not know what she really wants. 100 ideas in her head.
Samuel is a magic character. He is a plot device. He has a psychic ability to know the needs of the other person (or dog, lol) and to meet those needs. If you will notice it started with the dog, and he also does this with the husband. He helps the husband to really understand his wife.
In real life you have to spend a lot of time to get to know a person and what their needs are, and also it would be more likely be present in an older more experienced person. But that would have made for a long movie. The Samuel character enables the movie to get right to the point which to accept ourselves, and to be able to share our real selves and desires in our most intimate relationships. Like when she said that "Something is wrong with me." She has to learn that nothing was wrong with herself. She just likes what she likes and it may not be what your conscience self wants to project. But you have to share that part of you if you want a deep and real relationship.
P.S. I loved the movie.
Awesome... yet another movie about a woman cheating on her husband because it's "exciting". But its ok because {insert BS reason} and everything will be ok and she will be forgiven.
WHY IS IT CALLED BABY GIRL? This is disgusting that a film about sex and cheating is called baby girl.
I haven't seen this movie but there's a world of dominant/submissive roll playing called "Baby Girls and Daddy Doms" Doms for dominants. I was introduced to it over 10 yrs ago by a business woman. She wanted me to ultimately by her "Daddy" on a daily basis but i didn't think it was good for our mental health and i think she was pretty far gone into it. She said i was really good at it.. which i was.. but honestly... NO ONE in this entire comments section that i've seen knows what "baby girl" is really supposed to mean. Because he treats her like a dog.. people think it's some kind of "furry" type of deal... even the video itself has no clue.
Thing is.. you can't make a movie about it because it would be boring.. UNLESS you throw in cheating.
The baby girl / daddy dom roll playing isn't supposed to be for cheaters.. it's literally supposed to be a version of a relationship where you 100% give yourself to being a submissive and a dominant. It's for people who LOVE being submissive and told what to do and for men who LOVE being Dominant. It has nothing to do with babies.
@ShotOnChristmas idk if you have a daughter or not. The words baby girl have and always will only refer to my daughter as a baby aka my baby girl. I didn't think it was about actual babies, but to even call it that is discusting. If you are with a grown woman who wants to call you daddy while you do sex there is something gross there. I had a girl say she wanted to feel like she is being R aped and I left instantly.
God forbid someone actually talk to their spouse instead of this glorified cheating garbage.
Finally some common sense
Gotta get back into long form content again.
I thought it had a "feminist" aspect, but putting a CEO as suxually dominated by her intern is definitely not feminist
Yes, I hope people after watching this movie won’t start attacking female CEO's 😂
Definitely feminist! Everyone was understanding what the other wanted.
I would’ve liked if she was the dominant one in the relationship and the guy her sub
Not saying that it's feminist, cause I think it isn't. But, what's "not feminist" about a CEO getting sexually dominated by her intern? Can't feminists fantasize about being dominated and then act that out?
Especially the way how the whole movie is set-up. Its so frustrating and out of every feminist power. Uaaah. Sad sad. :(
Amazing how essentially similar "Brutalist" and "Babygirl" are. Both massively ambitious movies with very lame scripts.
Spoilers: At the end, could the black Labrador was the same one in the beginning?
Explaining that Esme, the employee, and Samuel, the intern, have planned the whole thing. 😅 Why else would Samuel tell anyone else about their relationship, even after saying he never cared about ruining her with their secrets? She was the mastermind all along. Esme got promoted. 😮
She probably knows alot about her employer, Romy. Even if the dog wasn't exactly the same, the plot twist could still applied.😮😂
You should have written this film instead. Brilliant twist! 😁👏🏼😊
I don't agree at all. As we know, Samuel has moved to Tokyo, but is shown in the hotel room in New York. This isn't happening in the real world, but in her fantasy. Romy fantasizes being with Samuel in the position of the dog - a scene which has actually happened - while being with her husband. In Germany we've a song about that - Die Gedanken sind frei
I think that could be true because in my opinion Esme was dominant to Samuel,just as Samuel was to Romy. I mean Samuel even told Romy that he likes Esme in a different way to her because she makes him feel more of himself. This film has a lot of submission and dominance all over. Even Romys husband is submits to his wife in the end
@Skipbw I agree but don't remember how Esme and Samuel interact since I've now watched the movie a couple of days ago 😬
@tourist06 it's just my thoughts based from the fact that Samuel told Esme about them(I mean how would have Esme known about their relationship) I mean she wouldn't have risked it all based on a hunch
Ick. They should have picked a MUCH sexier guy to play the intern. Everyone has their own taste, but this guy holds zero sex appeal to my eye.
The movie wasn't good. Nicole Kidman is stiff and disconnected in almost every role she plays. Here was no exception. And of course, the younger guy had to be totally buffed and confident sexually. The tropes were troping. The movie did little to get beyond every stereotype.
This used to be called a "midLife Crisis" - Only it was mostly portrait as the man having them.
She's way past midlife, unless she lives to 110
I absolutely LOVED it!
The fake promise of feminism, a woman who gets to have it all and no consequence.
If you can get fired by someone else and have to pander to other people such as stockholders, then you weren't powerful to begin with.
This movie was utter trash. Maybe I'm not the target demographic, but the message in this movie is absolutely terrible. The mother is a cheater, and the daughter is a cheater, yet they get no comeuppance in the end, making this movie extremely unsatisfying and having a horrible message. There is a reason why cheaters are often showed getting punished, and it is because they DESERVE it. Without it, it feels like the message is that it's okay to "explore yourself" AKA, Cheat, and it will all work out in the end or that it's not wrong. It almost feels like it is trying to normalize cheating, which we do NOT need more of.
Additionally, Samuel is AWFUL. He is supposed to be sexy, but he comes off as anything but. I am attracted to men and am very submissive, but he was the complete opposite of attractive to me. His voice lines are dry, low energy, and makes him come off as socially inept and quite frankly, autistic. How anyone could find this dry husk of a man attractive enough to cheat on with is beyond me. He cant even hold a normal conversation without sounding like he is bored out of his mind and comes off like the personality of a disgusting redditor or discord mod.
The main character is unlikable and never receives justice for her actions, and the movie tries to portray her as just exploring herself when she deserves punishment for what she did. The movie tries to make it seem like their relationship is "abusive" when it is anything but. These are both grown ass adults who fully knew what they were doing. They deserve the full wrath of the consequences. The only good people in this movie to watch was the husband, the dancing younger daughter, and the black women coworker. Every other charachter was disgusting, awful, and utterly hatable. 0/10, would never reccomend.
Your comment about Samuel coming off as autistic is extremely ableist. You’d be suprised by how many autistic people belong to the bdsm community, being both dominants and submissives.
@ He is simpily extreamly unattractive to me.
@@TheLudmilita 'extremely' ablesit?? You mean, like an athlete??
@ honey, look for “ableism” in the dictonary. If you relate “ableism” to am athlete, you clearly don’t know what ableism means.
Right?his performance was so dry and emotionless I almost believed he was a psychopath or something
I have not seen this film. What I found quite jarring about the trailer, is something you repeat several times in this video too. That Samuel, the low level intern, has the power to manipulate Romy and destroy both her career and private life? Yeah, I think we can be certain that that is absolutely not how things would play out in real life.
You literally missed the last part of the movie ,so disappointed,the whole movie was explained on that scene with dog & the man
Please explain, i really liked the scene but I didn't get it. I liked the music score which was delicious and the whole choreography with Samuel and the dog.
Are you sure it was a literal missing? Maybe she missed it figuratively?
What was your take ? I have two thoughts. Either he planned the whole thing. Or it’s her fantasy.
Or he never went to Tokyo
Dare I say as I get older you miss the wild sexuality of your earlier life and it is increasingly harder to be in a long term relationship with a partner and maintain what you use to have. Then you meet a new person in your life and that spark is rekindled. You risk it all for sex. A story as old as time for men or women. Its just been updated to modern times. No shade here.
Definitely not empowering
I feel like this was more of a romcom, but without much comedy. Halfway through the movie I was begging for it not to add more thriller and horrible crazy ending with punishment. Because it didn't feel like this deadly lust and manipulation, film noir kind of demise. It was real intimacy with both characters exploring something about themself, being vulnerable and gentle to each other, well not without power play.
In the end it felt much more emotional, than steamy, much more melodramatic then thrilling. And I kinda like that
I'm here for a different reason - I just wanted to see if Harris Dickinson has the potential to become the next James Bond. Having watched this video, I can see that potential, after someone suggested him as one of the few actors who could play the British "superspy" - he's the right age (28 as of April 2025), height & frame (not too muscular). I say this having thought that Theo James could play the role. I wouldn't mind either of them as 007, actually.
I, being a student of human behavior, and always wanting to know why people are the way they are, was very disappointed when they didn’t explain her need to be dominated sexually. I was hoping they would unearth some childhood trauma. The conclusion felt empty and dissatisfying
Watch Baby Boom with Diane Keaton instead, one of my fave guilty pleasures
Haha hahaha hehe!!!!.
Baby boom is not a guilty pleasure lol. It’s a normal movie but I agree it’s wonderful.
Firstly- the idea is not original. There is a Swedish mini series on Netflix called love and anarchy which is beautiful deep and well done.
This movie is wrong on so many levels. And is badly made as the characters are one note. Maybe if they had depth and chemistry the story would be forgiven but unfortunately all i could see is toxic behaviour. Even Nicole couldn't save it. And im personally super angry because i do engage in bdsm and what they have showed is not a healthy expression of it. The healthy bdsm is safe sane and consensual- they showed totally opposite to that. But a regular person will not now it and link kink with unhealthy obsession. Ok not every movie have to be morally ok - but if you go into controversy at least make it good and believable
Finally a comment I can agree with, like the characters had NO chemistry in my opinion and the ml was so emotionless and flat all the time I just couldn't connect with the whole thing
Love and anarchy is amazing! Much better than this
Totally agree. This movie disappointed me :/ very bland
Bad casting! All we see is Nicole and Antonio. We would never believe that Antonio is unable to be dominant. We saw him dominant in a lot of movies before, what are you trying to make us believe there? If she would have cheated on him its only because this guy is younger! If you liked the movie or no, you will still think unconsciously that she chose this guy just cause he is younger, but weirdly movie is not about it. And if it is, then it's poorly made
Answer is PROBLEMATIC. she could have explored with her husband but she chooses to break their trust and be unfaithful. Disgusting how they’re trying to glorify this.
Like how hard is it COMMUNICATE with your SPOUSE?!
@@phenyo_sc I know right? I have an issue when you've been intimate with your partner but aren't able to open up about other things? like what? and even secrecy about the privacy of your phone. like nothing is private in my relationship. look through whatever you want. I dont care xD
One of the things I found interesting is that out of work he is like an English lad with the gold chain and hoodie, Nike’s etc. Then I find out he’s English. Interesting..
Im not a Nicole Kidman fan like back in the day.
queer as folk insert was such a surprise, love it!
good take ❤
Personally i loved this movie. Nicole was a great pick for this role. This is simply about a married woman who misses some spice and dominance from her husband in the bedroom. And we have this younger man who can sense that. Off course she would give in!! This is a secret problem with many married woman out there, who are at times embarrassed to admit it. That whole scene in the hotelroom, is what i loved in particular.
yea but that's scumbag behavior just like the intern. Come on now. If married women are really like this deep down then perhaps there need to be more divorce filings happening because what kind of partner does that? How can it be embarrassing for her? when she cheated on her husband. smh
She needs Jesus, that's what's missing lol.
Not an erotic thriller!
Yeah the movie wasn’t very interesting or entertaining or anything at all. Vague trappings of maybe what the person who made this views as some noirish avant guard, maybe trying to even be gritty?? Yeah it was vapid
It’s different, yet weird- he had control, but not all of it was sexual.
They should have made Samuel a woman - a younger version of Romy.
Im sorry, but dont you need ur face to MOVE for acting ???
😂
It kinda insists upon itself
Still better than the godfather
Crazy part that is it happens at KFC too
The scripts nowadays are quite badly written.
yess
WHY does Nicole wear wigs in movies, looks horrible 😭😭😭
@sirmonkey3215 because her wig looks 50x worse than her natural hair.. one would expect her to get a decent looking wig at least
That "apt" at 7:18 in the narration threw me off.
Am I the only one who thought the glass of milk contained his “male liquid”?
You can say semen lol
@ haha, thought it could be censored 😅
I did think there might be some in it… 😂
😂😂 that would be INSANE
I’m laughing so hard at this 😂 never occurred to me Samuel would do that. He wasn’t the freaky one in the dynamic
the dynamic duo
Very intuitive young man 😐
They could have at least cast someone handsome, as the intern.
Can’t please everyone. His power was attractive. And what he could do..
It's not about being handsome. It's about showing dominance