A high powered CEO, Lena has always been characterised as kind, quiet, and completely loyal to her partner, Alex. From the outside, their relationship appears to be perfect—Alex is lovable, successful, and charming. He refers to her by the pet moniker Babygirl, which used to make her feel special but now feels oddly confining.
It is subtle at first. Before she has a chance to peruse the menu, Alex places her order. He purchases clothing for her that she never picked out but somehow ends up in her closet. He gently corrects her speech pattern, telling her to speak in a more gentle voice and with softer words. Lena brushes these off as romantic gestures, brief displays of his familiarity with her.
But she realises she doesn’t recognise the girl in the film when she discovers an old video of herself from years ago. It shows her with short hair, speaking more confidently, and dancing freely.
Unusual things happen as Lena begins to doubt who she is. She appears to have a slightly delayed reflection in mirrors, as though a different version of herself is still there. Her former friends hardly acknowledge her or remark on how different she used to be or how much she has changed. The nightmares then start. In her dream, she sees an empty mansion with innumerable identical rooms, each one containing a different version of herself, some begging her to wake up, some angry, some scared.
Desperate to comprehend, Lena begins sifting through her old letters and journals, assembling shards of a history she hardly recalls. She finds Sofia, an old acquaintance, who pauses before saying the words that break Lena’s heart: “You weren’t like this all the time. You were turned into a babygirl by him.
Recollections flood back: Alex was rewriting her personality, not just influencing her tastes. He eliminated her independence, her ambition, and her self through subtle manipulation, gaslighting, and affectionate control, until only the delicate, doll-like girl he desired was left. However, reality gets stranger the more Lena fights. Things in her flat keep going missing and then coming back. Overnight, her phone resets itself. When she wakes up one night, Alex is watching her sleep and says, you don’t have to remember, just be my baby girl.
Lena is terrified and intends to depart, but Alex always appears to be ahead of her. She begins to think he’s not acting alone. Is it only Alex, or is there something more powerful keeping her his? Even her own mirror may not be on her side as she battles to regain her identity, trapping her in a growing nightmare.
Final Act: Lena discovers a secret area in their flat that is crammed with recordings of herself, old pictures and abandoned clothing. She was in different forms. She is aware that Alex has previously done this. All of the women who were shaped into the same character became Babygirl. A few went. A few disappeared. Additionally, one—one—exactly resembles her.
Lena confronts Alex in a last-ditch effort to get away, only to learn the horrifying truth: he not only manipulates her, he produces her. The cycle restarts each time one Babygirl rebels. A fresh start, a new life, a new Lena.
She won’t allow it to happen this time, though.
Lena fights back in a vicious conclusion, not only against Alex but also against the oppressive force that keeps her bound to this world. She is standing in front of a mirror when the screen goes blank, and her reflection is no longer hesitant or sluggish. Nobody considers her a babygirl.
Final Scene: Alex awakens by himself the following morning. It is oddly quiet in the flat. I am not her is scrawled in bright red lipstick on the mirror.
