If you’re a fan of physical media (I mean who isn’t, and if you’re not, you’re not reading this) and you care about more than just *owning* a copy of the movie (you like the packaging, you like the extras, you want everything you can get out of a copy), then you most likely have a shelf dedicated to A24. And I don’t just mean the standard copy you can buy (well, now you can buy) at a big box store. I’m solely referring to the A24 shop exclusive titles (well, they used to be shop exclusives but seem to be popping up on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Walmart now, some but not all). There is something special about these editions even if they drive someone’s OCD maniacally insane. Their first few releases (The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019) and Midsommar (2019)) came in these oversized book editions. Then, with titles like Lamb (2021), The Souvenir (2019), and Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021), they went to paperback-sized collector’s editions, then went back to the oversized books for a few releases, and now seem to be back to the paperback-sized editions. There is no rhyme or reason behind this, but the smaller editions all follow a similar style for their spines, so the uniformity with those is at least brilliant and gorgeous.
L-R: Antonio Banderas as Jacob and Nicole Kidman as Romy in BABYGIRL. Photo courtesy of A24.
Before diving into this specific release and the quality of release, bonus features, and the home presentation, if you’re purchasing this direct from A24 be *very* careful when choosing format as you have to click the format and choose “4K Ultra HD” if you want the 4K. A safe estimation is that if it’s the higher priced format, then it is the 4K. The paperback-sized editions are $35 for the 4K editions without an AAA24 membership.
L-R: Harris Dickinson as Samuel and Nicole Kidman as Romy in BABYGIRL. Photo Credit: Niko Tavernise. Photo courtesy of A24.
Now, we can get into the nitty gritty and the fun here with Halina Reijn’s sexy power dynamic that is Babygirl, a movie that I have not stopped thinking about since September when I saw it back at TIFF (more on that here). The movie simply focuses on Romy (Nicole Kidman), who’s her own boss, the CEO of a robotics company, and is unsatisfied in her marriage to Jacob (Antonio Banderas). First cardinal sin — pretending that Antonio Banderas cannot satisfy someone — but alas. Romy begrudgingly partakes in a co-op type program that’s in her office as she meets Samuel (Harris Dickinson) and they start a relationship. While this is absolutely a predatory relationship, it is not explicitly seen that way as the dynamic is changed as it’s a woman in power and a man being the subject of her affection. The movie explores that relationship, the aftermath of cheating on your partner and the inherit danger of sleeping with a subordinate. It is a powerful movie that explores desire, need, sexuality, and the different view of a situation when the roles are reversed. Truly a masterful film that takes a lot of large swings and just misses getting it out of the park.
For review, EoM was given the Blu-ray edition of Babygirl, a 2024 theatrical release. Since it was shot digitally, the 1080 p looks fantastic upscaled on my 4K setup. For the minimal difference in price, I would opt for the 4K because, honestly, why not? But if price is a factor or you’re not inherently picky, there is no reason to avoid the Blu-ray. Both versions of this home release would be beautiful editions to any collection and will play wonderfully.
L-R: Nicole Kidman as Romy and Harris Dickinson as Samuel in BABYGIRL. Photo courtesy of A24.
Now, looking at packaging, it’s not a digi-book, it really is its own kind of release. It’s a harder (not a hardbox) outer slip with a digi-book sibling release containing the art cards and the movie itself. The front artwork is Harris Dickinson (The Iron Claw) looking down at Nicole Kidman (The Northman) without context, and the title is centered and powerful. The image says a thousand words, and the back is the infamous milk scene. When you remove the packaging from its slip, the art is from the climax of the film, a rather pivotal scene in the movie, but without this context, it doesn’t mean anything necessarily. The creative choice to highlight that scene specifically for the inner art work is truly exceptional as, while we’re revealing this movie, we’re immediately hit with its crux, the inside art showing what Remy desires — violence, intimacy, danger. Truly, from an artwork for a release, this is topnotch while staying true to stills and images from the movie and not alternative art.
Breaking down the features on Babygirl, there are the usual suspects in some featurettes, deleted scenes, and a commentary track. The deleted scenes are deleted for a reason as they truly did not need to be in the film. The “Directing Desire” featurette, which briefly talks about why Reijn wanted to make Babygirl and about her creative choices, is a small snippet of how fantastic the commentary is. The commentary for Babygirl is maybe one of the best on a home release I’ve listened to in a while. Reijn doesn’t let the movie breathe. This is a commentary track for someone who’s seen the movie as this is expansive and in-depth about from how she wanted to start the movie on an orgasm, or what the audience assumes is Romy having an orgasm, the difference between men and woman having orgasms, then further exploring things about shooting locations like shooting on the roof of the A24 office for one season, and sharing her personal experiences with the infamous milk scene and her personal life. The commentary leaves nothing unturned and is as informative as to the creative process and the background as to why this movie and why this dialogue, these scenes, etc.. Lastly, the “Power Looks: Dressing the cast of Babygirl” featurette is one of the most fascinating and intriguing costuming features I’ve ever seen. It’s not just a five-minute throw-away, it’s nine minutes long and what they get to discuss and examine with the costuming and choices they made for the film is nothing shy of engaging and interesting. This release of Babygirl may just have four features, but the two featurettes and the commentary are more than worth it and all are truly exceptional.
Nicole Kidman as Romy in BABYGIRL. Photo Credit: Niko Tavernise. Photo courtesy of A24.
Overall, A24’s home release of Babygirl is beautiful and incredible and both formats belong on any cinephile’s shelf. Whether Blu-ray or 4K Ultra HD, the presentation is sublime, and the features are as extraordinary as the movie itself. This is truly one of the best home releases for a beautifully crafted film that boasts some top-notch career performances from both Kidman and Dickinson.
Babygirl Blu-ray/4K UHD Special Features:
- Commentary with writer & director Halina Reijn
- Directing desire with Halina Reijn featurette
- Power Looks: Dressing the cast of Babygirl featurette featuring costume designers Kurt & Bart
- Deleted Scenes
Available on 4K UHD and Blu-ray March 18th, 2025.
For more information, head to the official A24 Babygirl webpage.
To purchase, head to the official A24 webstore Babygirl webpage.
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Categories: Films To Watch, Home Release, Recommendation
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