Yahoo Lifestyle The real star of 'Babygirl’? Harris Dickinson’s chain necklace
One of the most unforgettable moments in Nicole Kidman’s age-gap dom-com, Babygirl, isn’t a sex scene. It’s not even one of the scenes with milk in. Instead, it’s the scene in which the object of Kidman’s character Romy’s sexual obsession, Samuel (played by 28-year-old Harris Dickinson), is dancing topless, drink in hand, to George Michael’s seminal hit, Father Figure.
It’s memorable for plenty of reasons – not least Dickinson’s unselfconscious dancing, akin to Barry Keoghan’s groove in that final scene of Saltburn – but also for spotlighting what might be the key to understanding his sex appeal: his chain. Not since Connell’s chain in Normal People has there been so much thirsting over a man in a necklace.
As Dickinson grooves and sways, the camera focuses only on his top half, gratuitously zooming in on his tattoos and the only piece of clothing we can see him wearing, his chain. It’s a performance that is just as much for the audience as it is for Romy, who is sat on a chair watching as if she’s at a private Magic Mike show, because it shows us just how confident Samuel is – and that’s exactly why he’s like catnip to our orgasm-starved protagonist.
Fashion is used throughout the film to highlight the extreme power gap between Romy and Samuel. While she consistently makes an effort with her appearance via sheer pussy-bow blouses, strapless dresses, pencil skirts and heels (and Botox), he is seemingly uninterested in – and without the means for – getting dressed up.
As befits his status as the intern, his office attire is cheap and basic: an ill-fitting suit, a backpack and an oversized army surplus coat. His lack of care towards his clothing is further highlighted by the fact that he discards his tie at the office party and leaves it behind without further thought – for Romy to discover and fantasise about later.
When we see Samuel for the first time outside the office, his dishevelled appearance is jarring. Rushing in late to the cheap hotel room he’s booked for a presumed sexual encounter with Romy, he looks as if he’s setting himself up for a night in front of a football game, with a plastic carrier bag of beers. Wearing a tracksuit with a white vest top and a gold Figaro chain, it’s a striking contrast to Romy’s carefully considered look. It exudes a kind of nonchalant confidence, a security in himself and his sexuality that Romy just doesn’t have. And there lies the rub. Because it is Samuel, with his laissez-faire approach to style, rather than appearances-obsessed Romy, who has the real power here.
Chains on men have long been associated with a kind of rough-and-ready sexual confidence, from the Vikings to rap stars. After all, it takes a certain level of assuredness to pull off a piece of jewellery when you’re a man, with its innately feminine connotations. Other celluloid chain wearers who have set hearts racing include Leonardo DiCaprio in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet, John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever, and Ryan Gosling in Crazy, Stupid, Love. Each of these characters has an undeniable sex appeal, a unique combination of both self-assurance, sensitivity and strength. Connell’s chain pointed to his Celtic roots (there’s a long history of Irish men wearing jewellery, and necklaces in particular) and with it signalled a quiet thoughtfulness, in contrast to the bravado he put on for the rest of the world.
Samuel’s chain is the opposite: it’s about raw sexual charisma and establishing dominance.
The significance of the piece, and what it says about how he views himself, is emphasised by the fact that he wears it in almost every scene outside of the office. When he’s at the cheap and expensive hotels, when he takes Romy to a rave, and when he turns up in her swimming pool in a scene during the film’s climax. With so little else to draw on when it comes to understanding who Samuel is, the chain is essentially all we’ve got. And luckily, it’s very easy to read.
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