One of the most divisive films of 2024 was Halina Reijn’s (Instinct) Babygirl. Much of this may be due to the film being Reijn’s follow-up to the highly successful Bodies, Bodies, Bodies, while some of this may be due to the film’s taboo topic of a workplace affair between a superior and subordinate, revolving around domineering and submissive sex. Some filmgoers likely lined up on opening night to see this much-talked-about movie since its 2024 Venice International Film Festival screening. For many others, this would be a film they could never watch. While I am willing to give most films a fair chance (at least 10-15 minutes), Babygirl is not one I would have felt comfortable watching with someone else. It’s a film that takes a far-too-taboo subject for most social settings and groups to discuss and gives it a home. However, while the film felt genuine and honest, Babygirl did not venture into the lanes we may have wished for. Presumably, what we thought would occur did exactly that. While it did those things well, many may be disappointed that it didn’t aim for something more profound. I lay somewhere in between.
Category Archives: Harris Dickinson
The Iron Claw (2023)
Talk about a gut punch of a movie. As a pro wrestling fan, I’ve known of the tragedy of the Von Erich family for years. However, while I know the circumstances surrounding each brother, I was only familiar with the one who made it to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now World Wrestling Entertainment – WWE). Kerry Von Erich had a two-year run as The Texas Tornado in the early 90s. His time in the WWF was when I was getting into pro wrestling, and The Texas Tornado was one of my favorites. A biopic about the Von Erich family had been in talks for years before Sean Durkin’s (The Nest, Martha Marcy May Marlene) The Iron Claw came about. I’ve read pre-screener reviews about how emotionally devastating this movie was for months. While I felt prepared for my watch, I left feeling wrecked. What a masterful feat.