Nicole Kidman made her return to the Venice Film Festival to attend the world premiere of the film "Babygirl" on Friday evening. Arriving at the festi
Nicole Kidman made her return to the Venice Film Festival to attend the world premiere of the film “Babygirl” on Friday evening. Arriving at the festival by water taxi, she posed for photographers on the dock under the blazing sun before heading to a press conference. Kidman wore a black mid-length Bottega Veneta dress with short sleeves and a deep V-neck collar.
The thrilling drama follows a strong executive director whose professional and family life is put at risk by engaging in a romantic relationship with a younger intern. Directed by Halina Ryan, the film “Babygirl” was inspired by her love for erotic thriller films by directors like Paul Verhoeven and Adrian Lyne.
Antonio Banderas plays the role of Kidman’s character’s husband, while Harry Dickinson portrays the intern. Ryan, the film director, stated in a press release: “The romantic relationship at the heart of ‘Babygirl’ allows Romi and Samuel to express their confusion about power, sex, age, hierarchical sequence, and primal instinct. Despite its forbidden nature, the pleasure of this exploration is the pleasure of liberation and even healing.”
During the film’s press conference, Nicole Kidman shared: “Babygirl revolves around desire, internal thoughts, marriage, truth, power, and consent. It’s a story of women’s liberation from the perspective of Halina Ryan, who wrote and directed it. It was extremely profound and liberating to be in her hands, I felt a great deal of care, and in fact, we all protected each other greatly, and at the same time I felt the dynamic was real. I am proud to have been invited to the Venice Film Festival where cinema is finally being made under female leadership.”
“Babygirl” is being showcased in the Venice Film Festival competition alongside films like “Maria,” “The Adjacent Room,” “Quer,” and “Joker 2,” with the winners set to be announced on September 7.
Kidman arrived in Venice 25 years ago with another thrilling film: Stanley Kubrick’s “Eyes Wide Shut.” Despite a career filled with boundary-pushing, thrilling, and challenging works, she still feels some tension about this film.
A24 will release “Babygirl” in theaters on December 25.
Nabil Alani – Venice Film Festival 2024
COMMENTS