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“Sorry, Baby” Film Details
Runtime: 1 Hour 43 Minutes
Release Date: January 30, 2025
Initially Available On/Via: Film Festival – Sundance
Advisory Film Rating: Not Rated
Genre(s): Drama
Director(s): Eva Victor
Writer(s): Eva Victor
Plot Summary
Agnes has mostly aimed for a simple life. She desires to be a lifelong academic, doesn’t much need a relationship, doesn’t necessarily want kids, and really, the only person she cares about in the world is Lydie. Well, Gavin, her neighbor, to a point as well, but she’d sacrifice him without a second thought if it meant Lydie would stay alive.
But, in “Sorry, Baby,” we watch as Agnes finds herself dealing with multiple life changes, some with Lydie or Gavin by her side, some not, and her trying to maintain that peace despite the opinions of others trying to force their discomfort onto her.
Character Descriptions
Agnes (Eva Victor)
Agnes is an academic who mostly keeps to herself and only pursues a relationship with her best friend, Lydie, and neighbor, Gavin. Everyone else she is cordial with but isn’t trying to be close to.
Lydie (Naomi Ackie)
Lydie is Agnes’ best friend, some may say only friend, who used to live with her but now is in New York with her wife and kid.
- The actor is also known for their role in “Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody.”
Natasha (Kelly McCormack)
Natasha seems to see herself as Agnes’ rival and appears envious of all Agnes has because she thinks Agnes got it with ease.
Gavin (Lucas Hedges)
Gavin is Agnes’ awkward neighbor who has reciprocal feelings for her. But, being that Agnes isn’t looking to jump into anything, she takes things slow with him, and often, he is just happy to receive her interest.
- The actor is also known for their role in “The Zero Theorem.”
Pete (John Carroll Lynch)
Pete is a man who helps Agnes calm down after a really bad moment causes her to hyperventilate, and after talking her through it and breathing through it, he makes her a sandwich.
- The actor is also known for their role in “Babes.”
Review
Characters
Highlight(s)
- The Writing and Performances Makes It Feel Like We’re Watching Real People [86/100]
When it comes to “Sorry, Baby,” no one feels like they are made to make a point, give representation, or anything like that. Agnes is just Agnes, Lydie is just Lydie, and that’s it. Agnes isn’t trying to be likable, a victim or survivor of what she has been through, or the smartest person in the room. She is just trying to have a comfortable life, tempt her best friend to see her as much as possible, and deal with people like Natasha who envy her luck matching her skill.
It’s wild, at least for me, since usually, when it comes to live-action slice of life, type of movies like “Bunnylovr,” I find them dull and lifeless and find myself trying to accept the idea that might be the point. However, with “Sorry, Baby,” which doesn’t have a gimmick or hook beyond some recognizable names, I feel like that reasoning is now an excuse just to try to be objective.
For it is in watching Agnes and Lydie laugh together, deal with a situation that forever changes Agnes’ life, and Agnes adjust to the idea of having to share Lydie with Lydie’s wife and child that you see the beauty of the film. You may not know everything about these people, but there is so much in the present given to you, their past doesn’t matter as much as their future and you just hoping, despite all external factors, they end up happy and fulfilled. Even if that means getting jealous a person not even a year old gets your best friend’s time over you.
World-Building & Culture
On The Fence
- It Largely Exists Within A “You Know How Things Like This Play Out” [78/100]
While something does happen to Agnes, about midway through “Sorry, Baby,” you can see it isn’t the sum of her story or the movie. It informs her decisions and her relationships, and maybe, like we see with a man named Pete, it allows her to recognize someone struggling and be more open to the potential of a person’s dark thoughts and feelings. But, generally speaking, in terms of creating a culture around what happens at a university, especially with circumstances like Agnes’, you get the usual stumbles, bumbles, and people who you easily can take as idiots.
Story & Pacing
Highlight(s)
- No Desire To Play It Big [82/100]
The way Agnes is portrayed, it seems she is the type who stays to herself when socializing isn’t demanded of her to make a living. Which isn’t to say she is anti-social, but selectively. This could have easily made her the hermit-type character, dependent on the one person with the capacity to understand her, but that isn’t the case here. Eva Victor, playing the triple role of writer, director, and lead actor, shows a precise vision of how to play out the life of a brilliant person who doesn’t seek to be the center of attention; she just does good work and has a comfortable life.
This ultimately makes “Sorry, Baby” feel utterly normal. A reminder of how much you don’t know about the people around you, and just because there doesn’t seem like much happening to or around someone, it doesn’t mean they don’t have a storm inside, or they aren’t standing in the eye of a storm with you close enough to not feel the wind.
On The Fence
- The Chapter Structure [77/100]
To me, chapter structures can be overplayed unless they are being used for distinct shifts in characters and the narrative, and I would submit that even though the second chapter presented jumps back in time, the narrative device feels unnecessary in “Sorry, Baby.” There is a rather straightforward narrative outside of a jump in the second chapter. Now, granted, the whole film covers at least 3 years of Agnes’ life. But everything feels sequential in a way that doesn’t necessarily feel like it needs to have chapter markers.
Does it create a sense of drama in some ways or resolution? Maybe. But largely, with titles like “The Year With The Baby” and “The Year With The Good Sandwich,” while it may push this film should be seen akin to a book, relating to how Agnes was an English major and is an English professor, it just feel like one of the sole ways “Sorry, Baby” adds unnecessary panache.
Diverse Hooks & (Re)Watch Value
Highlight(s)
- The Push To Focus On The Before And After, Not What Happened [83/100]
Similar to “I Used To Be Funny” and the recent “Disfluency,” when it comes to “Sorry, Baby,” there is no desire to have viewers hooked on the traumatizing moment, hence why we have danced around it for most of this review. For the focus is getting to know the person, never downplay the incident, but show it might be a chapter in someone’s story, but not the whole book (which you could submit justified the chapter system).
But what not focusing on what happened does, is also put attention on how people act in general. Not just in reaction to Agnes’ situation, but how Pete reacts when he sees Agnes hyperventilating, how Natasha acts when she doesn’t get attention, and it just reminds you that people can choose to be good or choose to be trash no matter their gender, socio-economic status, or what have you. Now, do some take to jumping into action quickly like Lydie? Yes. Do others have to connect your situation to someone they know? Also yes.
However, the best parts of life come when people like Gavin, who can be potentially as insecure as you, vulnerable as you, and yet they still open up and show up because they feel like it is safe to be seen. And for us, it is Agnes never cowering away from being seen and herself, and that slow and steady relationship with Gavin and Lydie that make the film.
Overall
Our Rating (81/100): Positive (Worth Seeing)
“Sorry, Baby,” I wouldn’t say it is for everyone, but for those willing to get it, it’ll be worth the price to see it. Eva Victor crafts people and scenarios that feel real and not just made to make a point, and while you can make them on your own, the movie rarely, if ever, feels bogged down trying to be something grandeur. Thus giving you a slice of life film which may have some traumatic moments, but also a reminder that one chapter of your life doesn’t erase what happened before or has to be every other paragraph of what happens after. It may inform how you move, but you can still be you and embrace everything that might have attracted a bastard without feeling shame or guilt.
Content Information
- Dialog: Cursing
- Violence: Violence Against Animals (Implied)
- Sexual Content: Nudity (Mild), Sexual Situations (Soft C)
- Miscellaneous: Drinking, Sound Of Urination
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