Nicole Kidman Gets Venice Standing Ovation for ‘Babygirl’

Nicole Kidman got pulses racing at the Venice Film Festival on Friday night, earning a 6.5-minute standing ovation for her steamy erotic thriller “Babygirl.”

The buzzy A24 title — bowing in competition at Venice — sees Kidman star as a high-powered CEO who puts her career and family on the line when she begins a torrid affair with her much younger intern (played by Harris Dickinson). Directed by Halina Reijn (“Bodies, Bodies, Bodies”), the film also stars Antonio Banderas, Banderas, Sophie Wilde and Esther McGregor.

“All of us carry a little black box filled with taboo fantasies that we might never share with anyone,” said Reijn in the press notes for “Babygirl.” “I am fascinated by the duality of human nature, and this film is an attempt to shine a light, without judgement, on the opposing forces that make up our personalities. To me, feminism is the freedom to study a woman’s vulnerability, love, shame, rage and inner beast.”

Kidman, an Oscar, BAFTA, two-time Emmy and six-time Golden Globe winner, has history with Venice. At the 2004 edition she starred in Jonathan Glazer’s unsettling psychological drama “Birth,” which sparked controversy — and boos at the festival — over a scene in which she shared a bath with her 10-year-old co-star Cameron Bright. At the Venice press conference she address the controversy by saying, “It wasn’t that I wanted to make a film where I kiss a 10-year-old boy. I wanted to make a film where you understand love.”

After Venice, “Babygirl” is due to have its North American premiere at the Toronto Film Festival before releasing in December.