ONE Friday afternoon while I was at SM CDO Downtown Premier (SMDT), I could hear the voices of the youth cheering for someone. I thought there was an activity at the fifth floor where events are usually held.

As I roamed around, these cheers echoed intermittently throughout the mall, piquing my curiosity. So, I asked a security guard what the ado was all about, and he said that it’s Brader.

Brader who? A Facebook search led me to Crist Briand. Oh. So, that’s Brader. I could have joined his fans at SMDT for a selfie but I’d be so OOP—out of place—among the young ones there.

I was there to watch “Babygirl.” While buying cinema tickets, I realized that its next sked would be at 4:30 pm. What to do to pass the time? Oh, another movie. That’s how I discovered “Novocaine.” And—surprise! surprise!—it kept me awake which rarely happens now when I watch movies.

“Novocaine” is about Nate (Jack Quaid) who can’t feel physical pain. Thus, Novocaine, the brand name for a local anesthetic usually used by dentists for dental procedures.

Not feeling physical pain can be a good thing. But not to the diabetic patient who can’t feel the wound in his foot.

Pain is a warning that something’s amiss and whatever is causing it should be taken care of. Nate doesn’t have that warning. He has to pretend he feels pain to make his enemies believe he’s, uh, human and not some alien from outer space. That’s not exactly how the plot goes but you get the drift.

By the way, Jack Quaid, 32, is the son of Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan.

Nicole Kidman, the star of “Babygirl,” also has a 32-year-old child, Bella Kidman Cruise, her adopted daughter with ex-husband Tom Cruise.

But in “Babygirl,” you won’t even guess that Kidman, who plays the role of CEO Romy, is now 57 years old. Still, I always think this: that if someone says you look young for your age, that means you’re old otherwise they won’t say you look young. Operative word: look. If you’re young, you’re young. No need to add the word “look.”

Just by the title of the movie, “Babygirl,” the audience could already guess that its main star won’t resemble an old hag.

The best part in that movie is Samuel (Harris Dickinson) dancing for Romy. He’s topless, wearing only a pair of jeans, and has George Michael’s “Father Figure” as Muzak. Ooh la la.

Samuel is the 20-something intern at Romy’s robotics firm. Dickinson, 28, could be the perfect choice for the role. In case you have already forgotten about what I wrote in the early part of this column, please note that he’s four years younger than Kidman’s 32-year-old daughter. But who’s counting?

The plots of “Babygirl” and “Novocaine” are as far apart as the current relationship status of the Dutertes and the Marcoses. Or the green-orange and violet-yellow political parties in Cagayan de Oro. Or the carnivore and vegan diets.

But since opposites attract, “Babygirl” and “Novocaine” do have a common denominator: familiar songs. If “Babygirl” has George Michael’s “Father Figure,” “Novocaine” has R.E.M.’s “Everybody Hurts.”

Everybody hurts except Nate. But he does feel emotional pain. This propelled him to find his girlfriend after she was kidnapped by the guys who robbed the bank where he’s the assistant manager.