‘Sorry, Baby’ Review – Eva Victor’s Feature Debut Is Sharply Poignant And Darkly Funny [Sundance 2025]

Eva Victor makes a strong and impressive feature film debut with Sorry, Baby, which premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. She not only directs and writes the film but also stars in it. It was scooped up by A24 and understandably made a big impression on audiences at Sundance. The film is sharply poignant while being darkly funny in its exploration of trauma.

Sorry, Baby follows Agnes (Eva Victor) a professor at a New England college who has been struggling to regain her footing in life after she was sexually assaulted by her grad school (the same one she now teaches at) professor (Louis Cancelmi) three years earlier. Agnes and her best friend and former grad school classmate and roommate, Lydie (Naomi Ackie), still visit with each other as often as schedules allow, and Agnes goes through the daily motions of life while also forming an awkward yet sweet relationship with her neighbor, Gavin (Lucas Hedges). The story is told in five chapters but in a non-linear structure where the first and last chapters have the same title. 

Eva Victor has created a remarkably lived-in film. Even the tertiary characters surrounding Agnes are fleshed out, complete with their own idiosyncrasies despite what little screen time some of them may have. The house that Agnes resides in is old but cozy even with the difficult memories that haunt her like ghosts in the present scenes. It glows with warmth whenever Lydie and Agnes are there together chatting or hanging out in the past or present day. Their friendship is the standout relationship and dynamic of the film; their scenes range from hilarious banter to heart-wrenching vulnerability as they are each other’s safe person. 

The film is incredibly refreshing in its tone and approach to its subject matter. Victor manages to inject a large dose of nuance that is lacking in many older movies and TV shows that deal with sexual assault. The story and character of Agnes are realistic and relatable; many times rape isn’t done by some boogeyman in a dark alleyway or an unknown stalker waiting until you’re alone. It happens with people you know who push boundaries slowly and subtly after forming a relationship with them, be it professional, friendly, or romantic, where you feel safe until you’re not. 

Many women will see themselves in Agnes when they watch this movie. Victor gives an emotional and unguarded performance. There is a sadness in her eyes even in the flashbacks before the assault happens, and she seems unsure of herself overall. The times she seems most comfortable are when she is with Lydie or writing for class. She is obviously witty and smart, but she doesn’t truly see it herself. Throughout the movie, she constantly looks to others for validation of her intelligence and even her experiences because she doesn’t trust herself. 

Her professor, Preston Decker, preys on that and gives her validation when he dotes on her writing much to the annoyance of her other classmates. She smiles almost to herself during a light-hearted, joking conversation with Lydie about how the professor wants to sleep with Agnes, but she wonders aloud if that’s the only reason why he thinks she’s smart. It makes her sad to think that might be true.

Later, when Decker asks Agnes to meet him at his house to go over her thesis, she is a little uncertain but still trusts him. Everyone knows about the fight or flight response, but many people don’t realize there’s another common response in high-stress or dangerous situations: the fawn response. This is more of a “go along to get along”, people-pleasing action in an attempt to avoid conflict or even more harm. Agnes reacts this way when her professor assaults her. She is confused and afraid and does what she thinks will get her out of the situation quickly and safely. 

Afterward, she recounts the event to Lydie, and we are placed in Lydie’s seat also as the frame closes in on Agnes as she looks between us/Lydie and the middle distance, lost in her mind. Lydie listens and allows Agnes to work through the situation, telling the story at her own pace. When she is done, Agnes looks to Lydie for confirmation of what she can’t make clear–that it was indeed rape. This scene is echoed throughout the movie when Agnes mentions that people look at her like what she is saying is scary, and near the end when she tells someone that they can tell her anything and she will listen without being scared. It’s also a stark contrast to the scene that occurs directly after when Agnes and Lydie go to the doctor for tests. The male doctor is cold and clinical while talking with Agnes and also seems exasperated the whole time. 

Trauma affects everyone differently, and Agnes is stuck in hers. She feels frozen in a moment in time, so much so that she has difficulty imagining a future for herself that Lydie and her peers have already moved into. She has difficulty fully processing what happened to her, and she constantly minimizes it in her mind in order to protect herself. It’s easier to rationalize and minimize the bad things that happen to us because it forms a kind of protective mental block, but this only works for so long before the damage begins to inevitably rear its head in different ways much like it does for Agnes.

Eva Victor has crafted a minimalistic, heartbreaking, and funny film about trauma and its insidious nature. The world that she has created is three-dimensional and fully alive in this powerful feature debut. She shows us that life is messy, but there is still humor to be found in even the darker and more astounding aspects of it. The film also shows the inefficiencies in our society in dealing with sexual assault and importantly highlights how it’s rarely ever black and white. There are no perfect victims. Sorry, Baby is a special film that needs to be seen.

Sorry, Baby had its World Premiere in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.

Director: Eva Victor 

Writer: Eva Victor

Rated: NR

Runtime: 103m