Why you must see this film. Because it is the jewel of the New Wave of Dominican Cinema. Unlike films such as Alfonso Cuarón’s ‘Roma’ and Sebastiān Silva’s ‘La Nana’ (‘The Maid’), it presents inverts the ‘maid as a second mother’ narrative to explore issues of class and race in an innovative way. And because it is a beautiful story with compelling characters that will make you believe in humanity again and will stay with you for days and months!
Set in an upper-class neighborhood of the Dominican Republic, Babygirl is an unsettling portrait of a middle-aged woman, Dominique, and her relations with family, servants, and entourage.
From the very first scene, the film manages to astutely depict her privilege and buried longings. As a woman whose identity is deeply attached to her role, Dominique finds herself alone after the departure of her children. One day, the maid brings home her granddaughter and, shortly after, inexplicably disappears. The little girl re-awakens Dominique’s maternal instinct – but neither her relatives nor her friends seem to think it a good decision to keep her.
With neat precision and calculated detachment, Babygirl paints a society of strong racial and class differences. Appearances and disappearances are shrouded in mystery; hints at corporate corruption are left unresolved; and nods to Lucrecia Martel’s The Headless Woman (2008) can be felt.
