Why Dogs Are So Important In Babygirl & What They Represent

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Babygirl.Director Halina Reijn’s new erotic thriller Babygirl features imagery of dogs several times throughout the movie, which actually has a deeper meaning. Babygirl’s cast is led by Nicole Kidman as tech company CEO Romy Mathis, who stars opposite Harris Dickinson and Antonio Banderas. When Kidman’s Babygirl character embarks upon a power and age gap relationship with Dickinson’s character, Samuel, she is able to explore her sexuality in ways she never considered, but she is simultaneously risking everything.

Throughout the movie, viewers learn more about the characters and their desires, especially Romy, creating a full picture of who she is and what moves her. Because of the film’s intelligent exploration of sexuality, power, and love, Babygirl has quickly become a box office success for A24 and a reminder of Kidman’s talent. While Kidman has previously demonstrated her skills in the erotic thriller genre, Babygirl creates a refreshing take that allows messages surrounding power and responsibility in relationships to shine, especially through the repeated symbolic use of dog images.

Dogs Are Important Imagery In Babygirl

Dogs Connect Romy & Samuel

At the beginning of Babygirl, as viewers quickly come to understand that Romy is unsatisfied with her sex life with her husband Jacob (Banderas), she is stopped by a dog in the street. The large dog attacks a man and looks set to go after Romy next, but is stopped just in time. Romy looks up to see a young man, Samuel, easily tame the dog that just moments before had been violent, creating a spark of intrigue between the two. When Kidman’s character later learns that Samuel is one of her new interns, she is even more interested in his unusual personality.

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The dog’s violent attack and Samuel’s ease at taming him create the point of entry for Romy and Samuel to get to know each other. However, beyond the initial sighting of the dog in real life, it also appears as a symbol in the final moments of the film. In Babygirl‘s ending, after Samuel leaves for a job in Japan, Romy imagines him in the hotel room where they met, playing with a dog. The dog in this daydream is the same as the one on the street, highlighting the hold that this event still has in Romy’s mind.

How Babygirl’s Dog Imagery Reflects Romy’s Character Arc

The Dog In Babygirl Helps Romy Realize Her Desires

While seeing Samuel interact with the dog is the catalyst for Romy’s interest in him, the dog is also important to her recognition of her own desires. In the beginning of Babygirl, Romy is a successful businesswoman whose life seems great, but the audience clearly sees her dissatisfaction with her sex life in her marriage. After meeting Samuel, Romy comes to fantasize about his taming of the dog because she sees this action as one of his domination and the dog’s submission.

Romy’s desire comes to fruition as the two eventually meet in a hotel room and begin an affair, which allows Kidman’s character to finally experience the sexual satisfaction that she was lacking with her husband.

From seeing Samuel take control of the situation, Romy realizes that she would also like to be submissive to Samuel in the same way as the dog. Romy’s desire comes to fruition as the two eventually meet in a hotel room and begin an affair, which allows Kidman’s character to finally experience the sexual satisfaction that she was lacking with her husband. It again calls back their initial charged interaction, as Babygirl includes a scene where Romy walks over to Samuel on all fours while he holds out his hand with a treat in the same way that he did earlier with the dog.

Does The Finale Of Babygirl Mean Romy Is Still In Love With Samuel?

Babygirl’s Finale Is Fairly Open-Ended

Babygirl‘s finale makes use of Romy’s daydream of Samuel and the dog while she and her husband reconcile and have sex in the way that she wants for the first time. The scene of Samuel in the hotel once again likens Romy to the dog in her own fantasies, which could imply that she still has feelings for Samuel and longs for the way that he made her feel. While having sex with her husband, she is reminded of Samuel and the satisfaction that she got from him, which she had never gotten from Jacob before.

This scene helps explore the fact that Romy is no longer afraid of voicing what she wants from her husband, as is evidenced by her finally asking him for what she wanted from Samuel. While the final daydream could imply that she still has feelings for Samuel, it is more likely that the visualization represents Romy finally making peace with her own desires. Because the visualization of the dog coincides with Romy resuming sex with Jacob, Babygirl‘s ending shows Romy finally getting what she wanted from in her marriage all along.