A story about everyday violence and the way we try to make sense of it doesn’t sound like it would be a recipe for a funny movie, but this is precisely what makes “Sorry, Baby,” the fantastic feature debut from writer/director/star Eva Victor, such a moving experience. It’s a work defined by big laughs that leave you hurting and the bigger, more painful truths between. For those who aren’t familiar with Victor — who gained online notoriety for making comedy videos — it’s the perfect introduction one could ever hope for, signaling that she is a bold new talent in cinema worth following anywhere. For those familiar with uniquely clever sense of humor, it’s the moment the rest of the world will learn what we’ve known all along: she’s one of her generation’s most insightful voices.
“Sorry, Baby” is split into multiple chapters that all span a year in the life of Agnes (Victor) as she navigates graduate school as well as post-grad life after her best friend Lydie (Naomi Ackie) moves away to continue on with her life. It is also a film about assault. Specifically, an assault that takes place when Agnes is attending the school that she will later begin working at.
The assault is something we never see, a decision based in restraint that keeps the emphasis on character rather than spectacle. As we then follow Agnes as she encounters uncaring doctors, a college bureaucracy that would rather sweep it all under the rug and the prospect of having to live a life where she can hardly speak about her past due to how people react, it becomes one of the most honest portraits of trauma ever put to screen.
In Victor’s hands, the humor of life isn’t taken away by what happened. Instead, she dives into painful narrative and thematic territory with a boldness that proves enrapturing. It’s a film that almost entirely takes place in a handful of locations, but it feels vast in scope as the first-time filmmaker taps into deep existential questions about how you carry on after experiencing cruelty that nobody seems to care about.
In “Sorry, Baby,” we do so with jokes. Comedy is infused in everything from Agnes showing up to serve jury duty to having a fling with her dorky neighbor, played by an appropriately awkward yet sincere Lucas Hedges, with melancholy woven throughout. One of the best examples of this comedy/drama balancing act comes when Agnes is confronted with a reminder of her assault. After driving off the road in a panic, she then encounters a man, played by a joyous John Carroll Lynch, who goes from yelling at her for being in the parking lot of his business to supporting her with a caring ear and a sandwich. The conversation that she has with him bottles up one of the rare moments where Agnes is shown compassion and captures a deeply felt emotion in understated fashion. It’s a testament to just how good Victor’s writing and performance is that you get bowled over by what still feels grounded and authentic.
“Sorry, Baby” is a film of snapshots where each is specific, a little strange, but always sincere, bringing to life the many ups and downs that come as you find a way to endure.
This culminates in one of the most unexpected finales of this year’s entire Sundance Film Festival. Without robbing this ending of its impact, it finally sees Agnes getting the chance to talk about herself, how she never felt listened to, and why she will not make the same mistake for those she cares about. It’s about breaking the cycle with compassion and how, even when there is much pain, this is still worth doing.
After years of finding ways to be okay with not always being okay, it’s a cathartic and crushing conclusion to Agnes’ story that marks “Sorry, Baby” as one of the most moving feature debuts you’ll see all year.
“Sorry, Baby” is a sales title at Sundance.
