“Babygirl” Director Halina Reijn Defended The Film’s Age Gap Relationship
Babygirl just hit theaters this week, and it’s already one of the holiday season’s most-discussed films. It may even make an appearance or two when Oscar nominations get announced on January 17.
Niko Tavernise / A24 / Courtesy Everett Collection
The film’s premise — no spoilers, promise — is that Nicole Kidman‘s character Romy Mathis, a 57-year-old CEO, has an affair with a 28-year-old intern played by Harris Dickinson.
A24 / Courtesy Everett Collection
Now, if there’s one thing the internet loves to discuss, it’s age gap relationships like the one in the film — and in a recent interview with W Magazine, Babygirl director Halina Reijn got real about why the age gap relationship depicted in the film really isn’t a big deal.
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“If we see a movie where the male actor is the same age as the female actor, we find that odd. Which is insane,” she said. “It should completely be normalized that the age gaps switch and that women have different relationships.”
A24 / Courtesy Everett Collection
“We’re not trapped in a box anymore. We internalize the male gaze, we internalize patriarchy, and we need to free ourselves from it. It’s really hard.”
Niko Tavernise / A24 / Courtesy Everett Collection
