Directed and written by: Eva Victor
Starring: Eva Victor, Naomi Ackie, Lucas Hedges, Kelly McCormack, Louis Cancelmi, and John Carroll Lynch
Runtime: 103 minutes
‘Sorry, Baby’: This sensitive and quirky college-town dramedy is unapologetic with its nuanced, genuine approach in dealing with trauma
In a June 2025 Stephen Colbert interview, he asks “Sorry, Baby” director/writer/star Eva Victor how she balanced a heavy subject, trauma that her character suffers, along with plenty of humor during other moments of the film.
“It’s hard. I don’t know. I think you write something sad, and then (you think), ‘Well, I need a pick-me-up,’” Victor says.
Well, Eva’s back-and-forth tonal shifts when screenwriting prove to be a winning practice, as she won the 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for “Sorry, Baby”. Her first attempt at writing and directing a feature film results in a thoughtful, troubling, quirky, and funny R-rated indie, one set in a small college town in rural Massachusetts where the skies are usually gray, and its residents don warm jackets as they leave their homes for work or school every day.
Agnes (Victor) is a bright English Literature PhD student who eventually becomes a professor at the school. She’s in her 20s but hasn’t met the right person yet. Agnes is independent but loves to share her space and thoughts with her warm and supportive BFF, Lydie (Naomi Ackie).
Everyone should have a best friend like Lydie.
Our lead works hard in the classroom and enjoys making her way through her little corner of the world when – suddenly - a disturbing event occurs with her professor, Preston (Louis Cancelmi). Afterwards, Agnes verbalizes the incident to Lydie.
Victor handles the actual episode and explanation to her friend with grace and sensitivity. The director/writer/star doesn’t film the confrontation between Preston and Agnes, but still leaves the audience with a sickening feeling of dread, simply by Victor and cinematographer Mia Cioffi Henry placing the camera out of harm’s way.
This is a moment where moviegoers and critics alike are relieved when Eva doesn’t show us but tells us, which is usually the opposite reaction of a “please show us, don’t just tell us” preference when watching a film.
Eva gives a moving, authentic performance around this subject, and she pulls emotions from a similar event that happened to her in real life. “Sorry, Baby” is based on a personal experience, and the adage “write what you know” is felt here, including Agnes’ lonely, difficult drive home accompanied by a ringing-in-your-ears resonance, a sound that signifies that she’s dizzy and distracted in the aftermath.
As mentioned on Colbert, Victor certainly includes pick-me-ups as well and channels her humor through her character’s everyday discourse with Lydie, sexual tension with her neighbor, Gavin (Lucas Hedges), sarcastic snaps with a school rival, Natasha (Kelly McCormack), and a wonderful, friendly, and frank exchange with Pete (John Carroll Lynch), a sandwich shop owner with a willing ear to listen and a voice to dispense sound advice.
All the above characters are welcomed presences whenever they grace the screen in anticipation of empathetic or lively banter. A prime example is when Lydie parts with Agnes, and this critic felt a bit of sadness as she leaves, but voila, Lydie thankfully appears straight away due to the screenplay’s chapter format. Victor also effectively gives the supporting cast their own voices, rather than falling into the rookie writer’s trap of presenting the same declarations, timing, and style for many characters.
Agnes finds a stray cat, which will warm the cat-lovers crowd’s hearts, and this fuzzy, four-legged cutie has a unique voice as well!
“Sorry, Baby” doesn’t purr and pat the 103-minute runtime with heavy, dark cliches regarding Agnes’ healing. Instead, Victor uses a nuanced approach. Agnes still works, leaves the house, has a life, and sees her small circle of friends, which, granted, could be two. Her self-repair journey is uneven, with some setbacks and unexpected anguish or aches that appear out of nowhere.
Sometimes in life, pick-me-ups are soon followed by pick-me-downs.
“Sorry, Baby” is a film to pick at your local theatre.
Jeff’s ranking
3/4 stars
