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Film reviews

Babygirl Review

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Nicole Kidman presents herself as someone who is voracious and power hungry. The title of Babygirl speaks for itself. Written and directed by Halina Reijn, the boundaries of the film go instantly awry. There is no filter to the film’s content or the norms to be violated. Babygirl is steamy! The more lines that are crossed, the more damage that is bound to be done.  Babygirl creates a dynamic where rules and superiors do not see eye-to-eye. Safety is only guaranteed when unwritten rules go unbroken. The writing has blurred lines in which violations lead to tension and the greater the risks, the more vivid the moments are. Babygirl is unlike anything I have seen before.

In the film, Kidman plays Romy, a well-known, successful CEO. She is persistent and always aiming to be at the top of her game. Her husband is Jacob (played by Antonio Banderas) and he works in the arts. The portrait is painted like they are one happy family until a young intern comes into her life. This intern is Samuel (played by Harris Dickinson) and he has a personality that is straightforward and belittling. He also plays his cards in a disturbing way to blindside. His nice guy attitude and his attention is irresistible for Romy. Soon, she finds herself in an affair with Samuel. With late night parties and secret hookups, Romy finds herself in bizarre place, both emotionally and on the job. It is only a matter of time before Romy and Samuel’s altered judgment lead to irreparable consequences.

As someone who grew up in and around professional business environments, Babygirl spoke to me and caused my head to swirl with thoughts about difficult workplace challenges. What are the penalties of making bad choices? Who is at fault? There is no positive advice in Babygirl. Both parties make poor choices, and the material portrays suggestive scenarios which are cinematically enticing and intriguing. The CEO status does not matter much in Babygirl, but the impact does.

The film has a theme of soul-searching which proves thought-provoking yet stressful and intriguing. The couple’s deep connection is morally wrong. The CEO’s ego finds itself in peril, and Kidman displays desires that she cannot control. Dickinson’s character has the upper hand as the dominant and Kidman plays the submissive. The competition for who pushes the boundaries harder is like watching a video game with two players trying to beat the levels of self-control.

The age differential causes lethal suspense in Babygirl. The writing focuses on the issues related to Kidman as a middle-aged executive and Dickinson as an evolving adult intern. There are ways in which both have an upper hand, but neither can escape the detrimental career and personal consequences of their actions. Babygirl is the death match of ageism played out in an office setting.

The entire film illustrates examples of the various violations possible in the workplace. The atmosphere and characterizations are bold and engrossing, especially when there are kinky games and threatening scenarios. The display of human darkness is immense and lead to on going instances of being blindsided.What will the outcome be for the CEO’s family? Will innocence and irresistibility lead to shocking and edgy discoveries?

Babygirl had me sold. It is a hard R with many revolving doors waiting to be opened. Kidman and Dickinson are a pair destined for extravagant destruction.  Audiences will be left thinking about how much reassessing will need to come into play givenhow out of hand the situation gets. Kidman and Dickinson are a combative duo fueling the fire with each other. Regardless of how insane it gets, it is superb. Three-and-a-half out of four stars.

Film reviews

Queer Review

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This was on the road to feeling like a masterpiece, yet it fell short in its continuity. Luca Guadagnino is a director whose soul searches for meaning to wondrous extents in his previous successful projects, Call Me by Your Name (2017), Suspiria (2018), and Bones and All (2022). However, with Queer the artistic approaches are in disarray. Daniel Craig plays the lead and his performance is one that is revolutionary in its emotional depth, but the context of the film’s conflicts continues to grow in weird directions making Queer lack the component of brilliance.

The movie takes place in Mexico City in the 1950s. Craig plays William Lee, an introvert with a closeted sexual identity and an addiction to heroin. He spends a lot of his days in a café awaiting a connection, and many times he is caught-up with his buddy Joe Guidry (played by Jason Schwartzman). They spend their days being fascinated with booze and cigarettes. All of William’s priorities shift when he sets eyes on Eugene Allerton (played by Drew Starkey), a student that William begins to form a close relationship with. Once they begin to start up a friendship, Queer goes from feeling experimental to an over-the-top blur of a picture.

The film has three acts and an epilogue. This is a steady setup because it is one of those dark dramas where pacing will seem necessary. Guadagnino’s approach is to use the dynamic of their very separate personalities to create the tension of the story. William just desperately needs to feel connected and he cannot control his drug and alcohol abuse. Eugene is a student who is simply going with the flow, yet he knows how to set his boundaries. “Boundaries” is where Queer is lacking in the elements to create a phenomenon between the two.

In defining its poor quality, it is not one of a negative extent, it just tries too hard to the point where the moments feel out-of-focus. It goes from solitude to connection, and then to addictions in the picture. The resolution of the underlying conflicts from William’s issues leads the film into an odyssey. Much of the dramatizations are developed and expressed in a way that gives audiences the feeling that they too are tripping on some sort of drug. This quality is cinematic; however, it did not have me soldsince the title in and of itself is one where the expectation would be characters finding what their hearts want.

As I have said, Guadagnino knows how to form characterizations, and he desperately tries to with Queer, but the approach to be universal in nature (based on underlying conflicts) is where Queer displays a presentation of shame. The performances of Craig and Starkey are a knockout, but the setup of their paths and expectations of each other are in shambles. Its form of creating character components and comparisons that are supposed to bond these two keeps blindsiding its audience with lots of head-scratching. Queer is a portrait of a battle where sexuality, addiction, and finding the common ground lack thoroughness and understanding. It tries to seem universal and one-of-a-kind, however the measure in Queer does not get that high with accomplishing much astonishment. Two-out-out of four stars.

Film reviews

Heretic Review

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When it comes to religion and theology, there are always layers of context regarding the various theories that are questioned. These layers thrive with an in-depth sense of sinisterism in Heretic. Written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, they present a demonic tone that stays clearly present throughout Heretic. I found the format and setup to be realistic and almost like a puzzle. The terror, however, is what makes the film twisted. Just when you think one thing is happening, connections and dangerous methods are thrown into this mix which leads to a hole that is detrimental to crawl out of. 

The film is centered on two young religious girls. They are Sister Barnes (played by Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (played by Chloe East). They are both missionaries who practice Mormon religion. They are doing rounds knocking on doors promoting what their religious beliefs and practices. When they knock on the door of an older gentlemen, Mr. Reed (played by Hugh Grant), he initially delivers a welcoming, friendly attitude. Then, as their conversation continues, his tone as well as his home start to present strange things. He delves into religious topics and suggests that faith has two elements, “belief” and “disbelief.” Given his weird personality, the girls find themselves scared and realize he has trapped them in his home. Soon they are in a deadly game of survival with Mr. Reed. If they cannot prove their theories effectively with him, they may end up never leaving his home.

Grant’s performance in the role of an old, tender yet deceitful man is the fuel to the fire in Heretic. Mr. Reed’s ability to cause the girls to fear for their lives as they navigate his theories creates a complicated landscape. Trying to determine what is known, true, false, or should be rightly questioned in religion and theology are all explored. Heretic delivers a sense of psychological uncharted territory in a dark manner that continues to evolve in an unpleasant way during this cinematic experience.

The focus is solely on Sister Barnes, Sister Paxton, and Mr. Reed—it is like a dueling trivia match where death is likely if wrong. The writing and directing of Beck and Woods keep viewers thinking about religious theories and their accuracy. Do they all eventually agree for the victims to live? The story highlights the lengths to which curiosity can go and leads to a sensational one-of-a-kind death match that is relentless. Heretic leaves the audience repeatedly thinking “WOW” in the back of their minds. The element of surprise is more than what audience expects in Heretic. This film is a genius gem filled with moving parts which portray how someone sinister can find a new maker.

Is there a chance that the girls can escape this evil home? Are the theological and religious theories factual? How well do Sister Barnes and Sister Paxton know their faith? Ultimately, their faith will allow them to find a door to make it out alive. Three-and-a-half out of four stars for Heretic.