"Babygirl" tried to be the new "Secretary"

and it failed. here's why..

Don’t get me wrong, I love myself a movie that is outrightly perverted and plays with the themes of BDSM but the way I was so deeply unsatisfied with Halina Reijn’s Babygirl (2024) is something I need to get off my chest.

The movie’s synopsis reads, “A high-powered CEO puts her career and family on the line when she begins a torrid affair with her much-younger intern.” I first caught wind of this movie via its trailer on TikTok and I was excited, to say the least. Domination, complex situations, and a woman taking charge of what she wants unapologetically? Sign me the f*** up.

As someone who doesn’t mind a little ‘pervy’ movie here and there I was happy to add another one onto my slowly growing list.

I am ashamed to say that I did enjoy Fifty Shades of Grey, though. Guilty as charged. But it’s one of those movies where it’s so bad it becomes good. Whether this makes my upcoming take null to you.. Well, so be it.

Now now, you must be thinking– “Did you see it in theaters?” No, reader I did not. I did like any other person who’d rather spend their $19 on something else and pirated the film.

On a random Tuesday I sat myself down to watch this excitingly new BDSM themed movie where Harris Dickinson was the male lead and weirdly enough.. Nicole Kidman was the female lead? Never mind that. It was clear from the get-go that this movie was trying to be this generation’s Secretary (God I love that film) however, 45 minutes into my pirated goodies, I realized they failed– miserably.

When I first watched Secretary (2002) I think I was about 12-13 years old. No I shouldn’t have had access to that movie at said age but, give a girl her own laptop and unsupervised internet access and she’ll discover her niche.

The film’s synopsis is long compared to Babygirl’s but it details how a young woman (Maggie Gyllenhaal) who has a history of emotional problems has recently been released back into society after spending some time at a psychiatric institution. She returns back to her parent’s home and finds work as a secretary for a rigid and demanding attorney, E. Edward Grey (James Spader.) She later realizes she’s turned on by his stern demeanor and thus a sadomasochistic relationship ensues.

I don’t know if it’s the early 2000s charm of the film, but it absolutely engulfs me whenever I rewatch it. Maggie Gyllenhaal delivers such a distinct performance and makes Lee Holloway (her character’s name) feel so real, so me. The take on her mental illness is very much still early 2000s and could’ve been written better but this was– at its core– a story about two displaced and depressed people who were seen as societal outcasts. I have never quite felt seen by the peers I surround myself with and I’m always feeling as though nothing but meaningless blabber escapes my lips. Tolerated, but not wanted.

This movie makes you want to root for Lee, for Edward, for their relationship. You can tell they’re both struggling with their individual problems and yet, somehow during their moments of intimacy we see them soften and show themselves not affected by other’s views and expectations on how they need to act. A true freak movie.

Babygirl failed to invoke an emotional response from me. Not once throughout the film did I feel any empathy for the characters. Not even Nicole Kidmans character’s husband, Jacob or their two daughters. It all felt very hollow– flat.

At the end of the film there is no sense of resolution because (SPOILERS!) after Harris Dickinson’s character, Samuel, moves away to Japan (what..?) after Jacob caught wind of the affair we are still given the last couple of scenes where she still envisions Samuel to orgasm while having sex with her husband.

In a sense, nothing was wrapped up. She stayed in a marriage that doesn’t satisfy her, her husband stayed with a cheater, and Samuel scurried away to Japan randomly? This is all to say that Babygirl failed at creating a movie that makes the audience feel empathetic, horny, and happy. All good qualities of a sexy film like this was marketed out to be.

The intimate scenes were lackluster, and if I’m not mistaken only two intimate scenes were shown between Romy and Samuel. The dynamic was shifty and somehow was teetering along the lines of Puppy play that they never bothered to fledge out. Now, I’m no fiend but I was expecting a little more. Or perhaps I am but, if I’m being honest reader, this movie could’ve been an email.

Babygirl tried to be Secretary, but Secretary can never be replicated and I will die on that hill.

So there’s my two cents on that.