Review: “Sorry, Baby”
By Morgan Roberts
Director: Eva Victor
Writer: Eva Victor
Stars: Eva Victor, Naomi Ackie, Lucas Hedges, John Carroll Lynch, Louis Cancelmi, Kelly McCormack
Runtime: 1hr 43min
Year: 2025
I’m sorry that bad things are going to happen to you. I hope they don’t.
Cinema has always examined trauma, the tidal wave that hits after, and, because it is film, a phoenix rising from the ashes. A phoenix that would have never found strength without enduring that trauma in the first place. It is an antiquated and tired story arch, that, until recently, has been the most pervasive depiction of trauma. “Sorry, Baby,” which just premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, subverts our expectations in a far more grounded and humanistic portrayal of trauma and survival. In their feature directorial debut, Eva Victor explores surviving trauma and navigating a world that views your experience through a constricted lens.
Agnes (Victor) is an academic living in New England. Over a five year span, we witness her life before and after she is assaulted by a trusted faculty member. After the assault, Agnes soon finds herself somehow frozen yet remaining in motion. Life does not stop, and there are moments it feels it is dragging her forward rather than her being an active participant. As her best friend, Lydie (Naomi Ackie) moves away and builds a separate life of her own, Agnes remains in coastal New England, teaching in the very walls which broke her trust.
Victor has been known for their comedy for years - my own introduction to their work being their quarantine “Portrait of a Lady on Fire.” Witnessing Victor balance her same sense of humor with the heavy and human experience of trauma is truly watching a master at their craft. She is able to weave together that humor and serious subject matter with the same sincerity that has always made Victor’s work so captivating. Behind the camera, Victor understands what is important to show, as well as moments that are best left to the imagination of the audience.
Victor never underestimates their viewers, instead, challenges them to meet Agnes where she is at. We are never forced to watch Agnes be assaulted, but we do sit with her and Lydie as Agnes recounts it. And interestingly (and importantly), the language used and not used gives nuance to traumatic experiences, especially sexual assault. Sometimes, bestowing a label to an experience can, for some, speak into existence the true horrors of what someone endured; and doing that could be catastrophic for a person just trying to hold their head above water. Survival and self-preservation look different for everyone.
Eva Victorappears in “Sorry, Baby” by Eva Victor, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Mia Cioffi Henry.
That is perfectly captured in the relationship between Agnes and Lydie. Lydie is in the same graduate program as Agnes. Graduate school can almost be a form of trauma-bonding. It is a grueling and relentless experience that many people sign up for, semester after semester, but the people moving through your program with you understand that experience intrinsically. Lydie is the first person who Agnes tells about her assault, and Lydie clearly weighs what she can say to make sure Agnes feels heard without pushing her too far. It should be noted that Ackie is incredible here. She and Victor have great chemistry, that their friendship feels so natural. And in this scene in particular, Ackie holds so much space in that moment. It takes a really skilled actor to hold space for their fellow actor, remain so grounded and present in a scene like that. Again, it is that work that makes this friendship feel so natural and lived in.
In addition to being able to meet Agnes in her truth, Lydie matches her humor. In one moment, Agnes has an intrusive impulse and finds herself telling lie after lie to her neighbor Gavin (Lucas Hedges) in order to obtain lighter fluid. Coming home with lighter fluid in hand, Agnes tells Lydie about what she almost did and Lydie offers to follow through. It is both hilarious and touching. It is witty, dry humor which matches the intelligence of the characters.
“Sorry, Baby” is a grounded and authentic depiction of life. Victor manages to make Agnes’ world feel truly lived-in. There is a specificity to this film that makes it such a refreshing cinematic experience, while also being rooted in universal human truths. Whether it is our best friend, our grad school nemesis, the person your friend brought into the world, or yourself, there is a deeply genuine desire in this world for those we love to most to live an unscathed life knowing that will never be true. We will all be shaped by bad things that happen to us, directly or indirectly, and have to learn to make a new wholeness from events that alter us in some way.
The film is deeply moving and clearly so interested in the humanness that finds itself on the other side of trauma. In all of their roles, Victor demonstrates what a capable and sophisticated storyteller they are. The singularity in her vision paints a widely universal story which captivates, stirs, and emotionally devastates. It is one of the strongest directorial debuts I have ever seen, and will likely remain a personal litmus for films in 2025. Victor is absolutely breathtaking and gives an enrapturing performance full of heart, humor, and authenticity. “Sorry, Baby” is a striking film which beautifully depicts the magic and pain of living, and the quiet resilience which exists in us all.
Grade: A+
Pair This Film With: “I Used to Be Funny” (2024) dir. Ally Pankiw, “Sometimes I Think About Dying” (2024) dir. Rachel Lambert, “Wanda” (1970) dir. Barbara Loden
“Sorry, Baby” is apart of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, and screening online now through Sunday, 02 February 2025.