This story contains heavy spoilers for Babygirl. There’s a scene mid-way through Babygirl where Nicole Kidman’s character, Romy, seemingly reaches orgasm with a partner for the first time. The mother-of-two and high-powered exec lies face-down on the tacky carpet of a downtown motel room, her clothes tangled around her body; it’s her intern Samuel (Harris Dickinson) who has his hand up her skirt. When she allows herself to relax, finally giving herself over to the pleasure, she unleashes a guttural yell.
The moment feels unprecedented. Much of Babygirl does. Because save for select feminist films (consider The Piano, Benedetta) and TV series (Girls, Sex Education), we’ve become accustomed to seeing heterosexual women on screen climax within moments of being intimate. That is, if it’s depicted at all. The male gaze tends to prioritize men’s satisfaction, or what Babygirl writer/director Halina Reijn describes as the “orgasm gap.” But often when we do see it in women, it’s like a formula: passionate kissing, a couple of thrusts, and the woman lets out a dainty gasp of satisfaction.
