Film Review: SORRY, BABY: Eva Victor’s Effective Film Feels Genuine and Showcases Superb Performances Throughout [Sundance 2025]

Sorry, Baby Review

Sorry, Baby (2025) Film Review from the 48th Annual Sundance Film Festival, a movie written and directed by Eva Victor and starring Eva Victor, Naomi Ackie, Louis Cancelmi, Kelly McCormack, Lucas Hedges, John Carroll Lynch, Alison Wachtler, Liz Bishop, Marc Carver, Chhoyang Chesatsang, David J. Curtis, Tierre Diaz, Kate Fitzgerald, Jesse Gabbard and Anabel Graetz.

Filmmaker Eva Victor pulls off a rare acting/writing/directing triumph with her tale of overcoming trauma, Sorry, Baby. A24 has already acquired the rights to this superb Sundance dramatic gem that hits hard in its portrayal of the complexities of the human condition. In the film, Victor portrays a woman named Agnes who has the desire to be a full-time literature instructor at an institution of higher learning. Naomi Ackie is her best friend, Lydie, and the way the picture presents their bond is one of the many highlights of this Oscar-caliber gem. It’s the type of subtle, quiet, yet still talky movie that will sneak up and floor you at many given intervals.

It’s hard to discuss the plot without saying that Agnes is sexually violated by someone she trusts who quickly flees the scene to avoid legal actions. Agnes wants her situation to be understood but when she goes to a doctor (Marc Carver), he asks factual questions that are more uncomfortable than the ones Agnes may be able to handle in the moment. This is a different type of movie. It’s not one where the victim wants to see someone pay dearly for the crime he committed. Instead, it’s about acceptance of the situation that occurred and how to cope with moving forward under very difficult circumstances.

Agnes teaches Lolita in class and a male student suggests that the written language used in the book is fine but the subject matter is still disturbing so that frustrates him immensely. Agnes can be similarly frustrating as a character at first until one becomes used to her distinct quirkiness. She’s most comfortable around Lydie but Lydie is off in her relationship and will soon be having a baby. That leaves Agnes to seek comfort in a harmless but caring and sincere neighbor named Gavin (a great Lucas Hedges). A typical movie on this subject matter may show a character like Agnes fearing sex but, instead, in this film, she seeks it out when she feels lost and lonely in her life. A moving scene has Gavin and Agnes sitting in a tub together finding solace in each other’s company.

This film showcases terrific lead performances from both Victor and Ackie. Victor and Ackie play off each other like the master thespians they are. At the beginning of the movie, Agnes talks to Lydie about sex in a free-spirited sort of way that they both seem comfortable with. It opens up the audience to feel a bit intrigued by the nature of their friendship which is well-developed throughout the picture. Victor is particularly Oscar-worthy as her character takes in a stray cat and Agnes tries to hide the cat in a supermarket in a humorous scene. It’s beautifully captured real moments that make this such a strong and compelling film.

There is a capable supporting cast starting with the plausible Louis Cancelmi as a cowardly male character named Decker who Agnes learns has also slept with a jealous colleague named Natasha (a scene-stealing Kelly McCormack). When an older man named Pete (John Carroll Lynch) meets Agnes, he finds her in a state of total frustration as she is breathing heavily in her car. Pete soothes Agnes and has a few moments of clarity when he starts to see where Agnes was coming from and why she was so upset when he first met her. Lynch and Victor are brilliant in their brief moments together.

A sharp dramatic edge is found in the film such as a scene where a lawyer expects Agnes to explain her situation when she is called to court as a potential juror. This sequence shows the viewer how Agnes is supposed to go on with an ability to express her feelings verbally but that is not such an easy thing to do when the crime committed against her is so very personal.

Sorry, Baby is the type of high quality film that Sundance was invented for. It’s an analytical and thoughtful look at someone who may be going through a traumatic experience that will change her life forever but still must go on with her life and function. Her turmoil becomes the viewer’s as well as we root for her to find the kind of happiness that can make her move on with a successful career, a great set of friends, and possibly, one day, marriage and/or a family.

There are no easy answers in regard to what will happen when the end credits come up, but Sorry, Baby leaves the audience hoping Agnes is in a relatively good place. I loved this movie. Victor emerges as an early Oscar front-runner for the trifecta of acting, writing and directing what is sure to be one of the most intelligent films we’ll see all year.

Rating: 9/10

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