The true star of the film "Babygirl" with Nicole Kidman is milk

The Golden Globes have recently taken place, marking the beginning of the awards season, which will culminate in March with the Oscars. Nominated for Best Actress this year, alongside a prestigious lineup of contenders, Nicole Kidman was in the running for her role in the film Babygirl by Dutch screenwriter and director Halina Reijn. In two of the most tantalising scenes of this erotic thriller, milk takes centre stage.

Host Nikki Glaser spared no words as she kicked off the 82nd edition of the ceremony in Los Angeles, welcoming the crowd of VIPs to what she called “the biggest night of Ozempic.” The award for Best Actress in the Musical/Comedy category went to Demi Moore for her role in The Substance. In the Drama category, Fernanda Torres won for the Brazilian film I’m Still Here. Pamela Anderson, Angelina Jolie, Tilda Swinton, and Kate Winslet left empty-handed. Nicole, however, was left with the milk.

Power dynamics between fantasies and fetish

In the upcoming film, Nicole Kidman plays a powerful CEO who jeopardises her career and family when she embarks on a relationship with a young intern, portrayed by 28-year-old Harris Dickinson. Against the backdrop of what seems to be an ongoing and polarising discourse about milk in American culture, Babygirl shifts the spotlight from RFK Jr.’s alarmist rhetoric, inviting us to peek through the keyhole.

The kinky milk of Babygirl

Breaking every fundamental rule of human resources, Kidman’s character seeks understanding and satisfaction for her erotic desires with her intern. Milk becomes the first pawn on the sexual chessboard of the couple. It’s clear that Romy dreams of being dominated, but she initially struggles to relinquish control. One evening, her intern Samuel anonymously has a glass of milk served to Romy while they are separately present at the same bar during a corporate cocktail event. She accepts the challenge and, locking eyes with him, obediently drinks it ravenously, earning a “good girl” from the young man. The glass of milk becomes an archetype of primal and animalistic desire, a central theme in the film’s exploration of relationships. This first charged interaction reveals the complex dynamics between the two, further complicated by their age difference and the professional boundaries they transgress.

The second time milk takes the spotlight, the pair of lovers share a moment of intimacy in a hotel room: Romy, on all fours, laps milk like a kitten from a plate on the floor, and Samuel then licks it off her face. It’s one of the film’s most intimate and vulnerable moments. The meaning is layered: milk, associated with innocence, purity, and nourishment, takes on a transgressive quality when used as a symbol of fluid exchange and desire.

In an industry increasingly exploring the interaction of power, age gaps, and gender, Babygirl redefines how desire can be portrayed on screen. In Italy, the film will be released in cinemas starting 30 January. Get your biscuits ready.