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Spoilers ahead for the plots ofNosferatuandBabygirl.
The only question is, which one will you choose BabygirlorNosferatu?
The art of the stealth Christmas movie is as abstract as it is delicate.
The case forBabygirl
InBabygirl, all Nicole Kidman wants for Christmas is a good orgasm.
Feelings of emotional isolation are a hallmark of both the real-life holidays and the movies they inspire.
InBabygirl, Romy starts an affair with an intern.
Neither of them seems to have done anything quite like this before.
In the end, we see the couple having the kind of sex Romy has wanted from the beginning.
God bless us, everyone.
The case forNosferatu
Now, on to the Gothic horror set in Victorian-era Germany.
Okay, okay to be fair, that only happens one time.
The imagery is part of a bigger symbolic whole.
Then again, maybe Ellen is really more of a Christ figure.
For instance, she says, I always knew the contents of my Christmas gifts.
In the heathen times, you might have been a great priestess of Isis, he tells her.
Yet, in this strange and modern world, your purpose is of greater worth.
You are our salvation.
In that moment, Ellens wide black bonnet almost looks like a Goth halo.
But like so many great prophets before her, Ellen is not so well received in her time.
(You know, that tried-and-true trifecta.)
Even Ellens lifelong best friend, Anna Harding (Emma Corrin), eventually grows tired of her doomsaying.
For the sake of the children, she pleads, Christmastide is upon us.
Why must you remain so exasperatingly contrarian?
The Ellen-as-Christ metaphor goes further, too.
This is not how you secure a job in real estate.
Its not a perfect 1:1, but hey, even biopics takesomeliberties.
The verdict
So, as weve clearly established, bothBabygirlandNosferatuare, indeed, Christmas movies.
But which ones thebetteryuletide classic?
Obviously, its really a matter of taste.
But for me,Babygirlis the clear winner.
I dont know … puritanical for my tastes.
Instead, she simply asks her to come home.
If thats not a reason to deck the halls, I dont know what is.
