Nicole Kidman returns to Venice Film Festival with erotic drama ‘Babygirl’

VENICE, Italy (AP) — “Babygirl,” an erotic thriller about a female CEO who begins an affair with a younger, male intern, is about sex, certainly. But that’s just part of the story.

It’s also about desire, secrets, marriage, truth, power and consent, star Nicole Kidman said Friday at the Venice Film Festival. And it’s bound to inspire conversations for months to come.

From filmmaker Halina Reijn, “Babygirl” is having its world premiere Friday evening on the Lido, where it’s playing in competition before A24 releases it in theaters in December.

Antonio Banderas plays the husband of Kidman’s character and Harris Dickinson is the intern. Both her personal life and career are jeopardized through the ripples of the affair.

“I hope it’s a very liberating story,” Kidman said. “It was told by a woman through her gaze … that’s what to me what made it so unique