It was supposed to be the erotic thrill of this 81st Festival that marks the return of sex in all its forms. Babygirl confirmed the expectations even if the international press screening of this “hot” thriller, starring Nicole Kidman in the sadomasochistic version and directed by Halina Reijn, was punctuated by giggles, as always happens when touching on themes considered transgressive, which reached their apotheosis in the scene of the saucer of milk: Nicole, a powerful and sexually insatiable manager, gets down on all fours and drinks from the bowl like an animal on the orders of the young intern (the handsome and damned actor Harris Dickinson, 28 years old) who has entangled her in an extreme relationship, potentially capable of making her lose her job and her family.
THE BODIES
Embraces with her boyfriend but also with her very much in love husband Antonio Banderas, nudes, orgasms, plot twists, power relations at work, feminist tirades (and here the applause flowed): Kidman, very thin body and increasingly smooth face, dominated the day. “And now that I deliver this very extreme film to the world, I tremble with fear: I feel exposed and vulnerable”, says in Venice the actress, 57 years old, with a thick ponytail and the proverbial charisma, “it was liberating to shoot Babygirl which talks about female desire, marriage and the most intimate thoughts hidden in the mind of each of us”, continues the actress, “especially because it was directed by a woman who imposed her personal, all-female gaze on eros. I trusted her… by the way, how many female directors are in competition?”, she asks, “five? Good”.
THE COFFEE
At 57, an Oscar winner for her role as Virginia Woolf (with a fake nose) in The Hours, Nicole enthusiastically defends Babygirl. “I love investigating female characters and in general the many facets of the human being,” explains the actress, “often, on screen, I have used my body. But I have never felt exploited,” she emphasizes, “because even nudity is part of that process that leads me to tell a story with the greatest possible truth. On the set of Babygirl I felt protected.” To deal with the erotic scenes, Nicole spoke at length with Dickinson, who is already a sex symbol and was greeted at the Lido by the delirium of fans, “we sat down in front of a coffee and talked about ourselves to get to know each other better… then, on the set, a very good intimacy coordinator did the rest, putting us at ease. Some time ago I said that I would try to work with more female directors to rebalance the weight of men. This film fits into that project. We are changing things.” Halina Reijn intervenes: «We all have a black box full of fantasies and taboos that we would prefer not to share», says the director, «in Babygirl I wanted to shed light on these things without passing judgment. Feminism is also the freedom to explore vulnerability, love, shame, anger and the inner beast that lives in every woman». Alé. Dickinson says that her character «reflects the confusion of young contemporary males» and Banderas declares himself proud of having made Babygirl: «The film, not at all conventional, has the courage to bring to the screen situations and thoughts that no one would dare to talk about. Today, politically correct language has generated self-censorship».
THE TAX CREDIT
Between one screening and another, the Undersecretary for Culture Lucia Borgonzoni and Nicola Borrelli of the Ministry’s Cinema Directorate presented the new decree on tax credit, intended to attract foreign investments: the structure remains unchanged and the new features concern the use of artificial intelligence, the provisions on transparency but also compliance with the rules in collective agreements and against harassment at work.
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