Babygirl director Halina Reijn explains why there should be more movies that follow older women dating younger men. The story of Babygirl follows Romy, a successful CEO, who puts her career and family on the line when she begins an affair with Samuel, an intern who is much younger than her. Romy and Samuel are played by Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson, respectively. In addition to Kidman and Dickinson, the cast of Babygirl includes Antonio Banderas, Esther Rose McGregor, and Sophie Wilde.
In an interview with W Magazine, Reijn defends Kidman and Dickinson’s age gap and argues that it should be normal to watch an older woman date a younger man onscreen. She pushes back against patriarchy, and points out that all women have different kinds of relationships. Reign believes it should be completely normal for an older woman to date a younger man. Read Reign’s full quote below:
If we see a movie where the male actor is the same age as the female actor, we find that odd. Which is insane. It should completely be normalized that the age gaps switch and that women have different relationships. We’re not trapped in a box anymore. We internalize the male gaze, we internalize patriarchy, and we need to free ourselves from it. It’s really hard.
There Is A 30-Year Difference Between Kidman & Dickinson
In real life, Kidman is 57 years old and Dickinson is 28. Therefore, there is an almost 30-year age gap between them. This was, of course, a major talking point leading up to the release of Babygirl, especially because it seems to be becoming more common for movies to feature older women who date younger men. Kidman actually starred in another 2024 movie called A Family Affair in which she dated Zac Efron, who is 37 years old, 20 years younger than her.
In Babygirl, it is true that having an affair with Samuel could potentially ruin Romy’s career and family, but Reijn makes sure to never portray their relationship as unnatural.
Following the release of Babygirl, it is clear that Reijn wants to normalize including older women dating people younger than them in movies. In Babygirl, it is true that having an affair with Samuel could potentially ruin Romy’s career and family, but Reijn makes sure to never portray their relationship as unnatural. Reijn successfully conveys that there is nothing wrong with an older woman and younger man having chemistry with each other, and hopes that more movies will include relationships with large age gaps.
Our Take On Kidman & Dickinson’s Relationship In Babygirl
Reijn Is Correct In Her Defense Of Babygirl’s Age Gap
Following the releases of both Babygirl and A Family Affair, it is clear that Kidman is at the forefront of the new Hollywood movie trend of older women dating younger men. There are countless movies that feature men dating women who are much younger than them. This has been a trend in Hollywood for years, and hardly anyone has ever questioned it. Therefore, Reijn is right to point out that there is nothing wrong with seeing a relationship between an older woman and a younger man onscreen in movies like Babygirl.
Source: W Magazine
A high-powered CEO risks everything when she embarks on a passionate and illicit affair with her much younger intern.
- Release Date
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December 25, 2024
- Runtime
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114 Minutes
- Character(s)
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Romy
, Samuel
, Jacob
, Esme
, David
, Hazal
, Robert - Director
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Halina Reijn
- Writers
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Halina Reijn