Will Nicole Kidman’s Performance In Erotic Thriller ‘Babygirl’ Seduce Oscar Voters?

deadline.com:

Could Nicole Kidman score a fifth Best Actress nomination for her performance in racy thriller Babygirl, which has just debuted at the Venice Film Festival?

The short answer is yes. The longer answer is that it’s complicated. In the Halina Reijn-directed erotic-drama, Kidman plays a high-powered CEO who puts her career and family on the line when she begins a torrid affair with her much younger intern (played by Harris Dickinson).

The early word on Kidman from critics here on the Lido is very positive. Deadline’s Damon Wise said: “It’s hard to ignore the amount of dedication, not to mention naked flesh, that she brings to the role….Kidman really goes the distance, imbuing Romy with a psychological vulnerability that is missing from the film it most obvious sounds like (50 Shades of Grey) and presenting a unique reversal of the film it most obviously looks like (Secretary).” BBC critic Nicholas Barber said Kidman “gives her bravest and best performance in quite some time”, while Indiewire called the performance “fearless”.

Vanity Fair wrote: “What is decidedly clear, consistent, and declarative in the film is the force of seeing Kidman venture down yet another new avenue, tossing self-consciousness out the window (or, maybe, just laying it aside for a while) to help realize Reijn’s curious vision.