Displaying items by tag: Nicole Kidman

BABYGIRL

US, 2024, 114 minutes, Colour.

Nicole Kidman, Harris Dickinson, Antonio Banderas, Sophie Wilde, Esther McGregor.

Directed by Halina Reijn.

Very much a women’s film, in terms of focus, issues, relationships with men. It was written and directed by Dutch actress, Halina Reijn, who also directed the American film, Bodies, Bodies, Bodies. And, bodies play a significant role in this film. And its star, Nicole Kidman, won the Best Actress award the 2024 Venice Film Festival.

The film is better reviewed from the female perspective, with some empathy, understanding as well as critique. And, of course, it offers a challenge to the male reviewer.

It opens quite graphically, the focus on business executive, self-made business leader, Romy, Nicole Kidman, her sexual relationship with her husband, Jacob, a theatre director, Antonio Banderas. Vigorous but not fulfilling, and Romys need for turning to pornography for some kind of gratification or fulfilment. At work she is most competent. But, some in insecurities.

The catalyst for surfacing the uncertainties and possibilities for change/or not, is a young man, Samuel, Harris Dickinson, seen on the sidewalk controlling an aggressive dog. And he turns out to be one of the aspiring interns at the company, very forward, claiming Romy as a mentor despite her objections.

It would be interesting to hear some psychologists interpretation of each of their characters and the interactions and sexual behaviour. With the lay reviewer, they don’t seem quite credible, especially Samuel’s character and the motivations for his behaviour, where he came from, what his intentions are, what he gets out of the relationship.

In fact, the film parallels those dramas with the dominatrix and the subservient male client. Samuel becomes the dominator, not in the expected violent way but paralleling the behaviour of the female dominatrix. And the audience continually asking about Romy’s behaviour, self-consciousness, memories of her past and inadequacy, issues of power, issues of gratification and fulfilment.

There are some family scenes, Romy and Jacob having two daughters, but the focus is on that sexual interaction domination and submission between Romy and Samuel.

1. The title, the tone? Identity, sexuality, relationships, power?
2. The New York setting, the world of business and enterprise, management, interns, interactions? Home life? The world of affairs, hotels? The musical score, pounding at times?
3. The impact of the opening, Romy and Jacob and their relationship, sexuality, her going to the computer for pornography, her later taunts of Jacob, contrast with her experiences with Samuel? The focus of the film on personality, sexuality, sense of inferiority, ambition and achievement, exercise of power? Domination – by the male but echoing the dominatrix? Intimacy, secrecy, fulfilment?
4. Romy’s story, her background, sense of inferiority, studies, skills, achievement, the company, relationship with the staff? With Esme? With the interns? Seeing her in business meetings, her reports, communication video…?
5. Jacob, the marriage, their children, home life, intimacy? His work in the theatre, the rehearsals, Romy’s visit? The performance, the achievement, the celebration, Romy leaving?
6. The introduction of Samuel, the incident with the dog on the street, his control, coming to the office with the interns, his approach to her, her asking about the dog? His choosing her as mentor, but not being on the program, her resistance, the first meeting, the seven minutes, the interview, the discussions? The credibility of Samuel’s character, his background, much unexplained, his approach to Romy, sexual, dominating?
7. The development of the relationship between the two his demands, his analysis of her sense of inferiority, his commands, her reactions, leaving, returning, the kisses, the propriety, the danger of public knowledge, losing her position in reputation? The party, watching him dancing, his tie, taking it?
8. The sequences of their being together, his commands, her humiliation, resistance, acquiescence, the milk in the saucer, on all fours…? The sexual impact for her? The significance for Samuel?
9. His turning up at her house, her reactions, the children’s party, with Esme? His relationship with Esme, different? Her role in the company, ambitions, taking Romy’s role as her model, at the house, with Samuel, her later confrontation with Romy, saying she knew everything?
10. The interactions with Jacob, the tensions, the taunt, later apology, his suspicions, his outbursts, his demands, ousting her, her meeting with Samuel, his discovering them, the fight, some resolution?
11. The influence her daughters, Isabel, age, friends, relationships, sexuality? Her behaviour with her parents, the socials, the party? Concerned about her mother?
12. The ousting of Samuel, his going to Japan? The discussion with the boss, the standing up to him, ousting him? The reconciliation with Jacob and the family?
13. The credibility of Romy’s personal and sexual journey?

WILLS  & BURKE

Australia, 1985, 100 minutes, Colour.

Gary McDonald, Kym Gyngell, Peter Collingwood, Jonathan Hardy, Mark Little, Alex Menglet, Wyn Roberts, Nicole Kidman, Chris Haywood.

Directed by Bob Weiss.

In 1985, an expensive and well-mounted historical film on the ill-fated expedition of Robert O’Hara Burke and William John Wills, directed by Graham Clifford and starring Jack Thompson Nigel Havers, Burke and Wills, was released in Australia. However, at the same time, in some areas releasing a week before Burke and Wills, was this small budget more comic interpretation of the characters and their expedition, generally considered a parody featuring a significant number of Australian comedians and veteran actors and Nicole Kidman at the beginning of her career. It was not a commercial success and remains an Australian cinema curiosity.

In many ways it presupposes audience knowledge of the expedition of Burke and Wills, travelling through northern Australia, miscalculations, their deaths and the survival of one of their expedition members, Jonathan King.

The film recreates the atmosphere of the 19^th century, period and style, but especially focusing on aspect of Melbourne, theatre, zoo, and locations. And, of the expedition, desert and jungle.

The film has a jaunty score, songs and lyrics and the irony of asking: who’s laughing now?

While the film introduces us to the characters, audiences realise that Gary McDonald was a famous comedian, especially on television with his intrusive and cheeky news interviewer, Norman Gunston. A bit difficult to accept him as Burke. Kym Gyngell also had a comic reputation.

On the one hand, the tradition was to have Burke and Wills held up as heroes, significant explorers of the 19^th century, aspects of Empire and glory, superior gentleman, comparisons with the aboriginal people and Asians. Key to this film is the putting on of a play, with music, a focus on the actress Julia Matthews, Burke proposing to her and her wanting to be the main star of the play. At this stage, Nicole Kidman was in her late teens.

There is the expected presentation of the authorities in Victoria, the presentation of the governor, politicians, bureaucrats, a poking fun at pomposity through the governor.

The film has been little seen since its first release but, especially with its cast, and the historical situation of it being released at the same time as the more ambitious Burke and Wills, it has a place in the history of Australian cinema.

A FAMILY AFFAIR

US, 2024, 111 minutes, Colour.

Nicole Kidman, Zac Efron, Joey King, Kathy Bates.

Directed by Richard La Gravanese.

A Family Affair is a romantic comedy designed for the Netflix audience. And, it was very successful.

The film was written and directed by Richard La Gravanese, longtime screenwriter and director. But the film relies on the impact of its stars, their reputations, bringing them together. And, especially, with the age difference between the actors and their characters in the film, a May-December romance.

At the same time, another film made for streaming, The Idea of You, starred Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Gallantzine, a much more serious take on the relationship, and the criticisms and judgements about the older woman was very successful.

This film has a Hollywood setting. Zac Efron, partly sending up his own image and career, is probably the most callow and self-absorbed film star, working in a superhero franchise, worried about his career, and the quality of the writing – though he is in no place to judge. He is a person of selfish whims, his production assistant having to fulfil all his wishes, and is phone calls at all times of the night, go to buy some food that he decides he wants. The production assistant is played by Joey King.

After the star dismisses his assistant, he goes to her house to ask her to come back and encounters Nicole Kidman as her mother, the widow of many years, an award-winning writer. Perhaps audiences will be taken aback by the swift sexual encounter but this does then become the theme and debating point of the film, the daughter taken aback, warning her mother, finding the actor giving his mother for gift of hearings, a sure sign in the past that he was breaking with a woman. This breaks up the relationship.

One of the advantages of the film is the genial mother-in-law played by Kathy Bates, a good influence on all the characters.

Of course, the daughter relents, the relationship takes up again – and seems to be successful, the mother even working on the screenplays for the films…

1. The title, variation on the theme? Romantic comedy? A May-December story?
2. The Hollywood setting, studios, actors, agents, assistants? The musical score?
3. The focus on the Zara, her age, working with Chris, doing all the work, his taking her for granted, the menial jobs, the issue of rewrites, his whims, her responding, his offhand attitude towards her, changing codes…? Her giving up on him? Her life, her friendships? Her relationship with her mother, memories of the dead father, idealising him?
4. Zac Efron, his image from his young days, now middle-aged? The movie star, his whims, tantrums, unreasonable demands on Zara, his attitude towards his characters, the franchise, wanting rewrites, his relationships, with women, breaking up with them, the eeriness and the tour…? A completely callow character?
5. Nicole Kidman as Brooke, her age, widow, writer, award-winning, successful, missing her husband? Her relationship with her daughter, supporting her ambitions? Critical of Chris?
6. Chris, the visit, meeting Brooke, the reactions, the speed of the sexual encounter, Zara coming home, her reaction to Chris, to her mother? Warning her mother?
7. Leila, mother-in-law, friendly and genial, supportive, the visit at Christmas, her urging Brooke to feel free, urging Zara to be tolerant? Her reaction to Chris?
8. Chris, wanting to employ Zara again, relying on her?
9. The happy couple, together, the dinners, talk, age difference, difference in character and temperament? Zara, her warnings, seeing the gift of the earrings and remembering these is the brush off, and the tour of the studio? Warning her mother, her mother upset?
10. Zara, her reactions, her friend, talking things over, her harsh and brash breaking up of the relationship, going to her mother, apologising?
11. 12 months later, happy endings, Zara and her being a producer, Brooke and Chris and the relationship?
12. A fluffy romantic comedy with the emphasis on the age difference?