Saturday, November 08, 2025

Sorry, Baby - Review: The Arrival of a Charming New Voice


Official Release
June 27, 2025
Rotten Tomatoes
97%
Letterboxd
3.9/5
Running Time
1h 43m

📖 Official Synopsis

Something bad happened to Agnes. But life goes on... for everyone around her, at least. The story follows Agnes through the different points in her life when she pauses—or is forced to pause—to contemplate the bare, boring reality of what has happened to her, examining the naked uncertainty that hangs in the air after a punchline.




👥 Expanded Cast Profile

  • Eva Victor as Agnes
  • Naomi Ackie as Lydie
  • Lucas Hedges as Gavin
  • John Carroll Lynch as Pete
  • Louis Cancelmi as Preston Decker

🎬 Expanded Crew Profile

  • Director: Eva Victor
  • Screenwriter: Eva Victor
  • Producers: Barry Jenkins, Adele Romanski, Mark Ceryak
  • Distributor: A24
  • Production Co: Pastel, Tango Entertainment, Big Beach, High Frequency Entertainment

🏰 Industrial & Production Brief

Distributed by indie powerhouse A24, Sorry, Baby marks the triumphant feature directorial and writing debut of multi-hyphenate talent Eva Victor. Co-produced by Academy Award winner Barry Jenkins under his Pastel banner alongside Adele Romanski and Mark Ceryak, the project represents a stark departure from traditional trauma narratives by approaching difficult, sensitive thematic terrain with an appealingly gauche, skittish, and unforced sense of humor. The project balances its lighter conversational core against a serious, deeply humanist foundation. By avoiding large, digitized backdrops and flashy theatrical gimmicks, the filming layout captures an honest, candid, and unpretentious reality that seamlessly transitions between raw sadness and comforting laughter.




The Official Trailer

"Victor does an excellent job of capturing human moments with uncanny poignancy." — Ray Manukay

🎬 Cast & Crew

  • Director/Writer: Eva Victor
  • Starring: Eva Victor, Catherine Cohen, Jaboukie Young-White
  • Cinematography: Maria Rusche
  • Genre: Independent Dramedy

The Vision

The film alternates between moments of relatable humor and deep, life-altering pain. Victor captures the tragic, yet also inspiring, tale of a young woman navigating a profound trauma in her life with a stylistic flair that feels both modern and timeless. It’s a vision that embraces the messiness of healing without ever succumbing to easy sentimentality.

🎬 Cinephile Fun Facts

  • Sundance Darling: This film became one of the biggest breakout hits and most talked-about acquisitions of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.
  • Personal Script: Eva Victor reportedly channeled her improv background into the writing process, finishing the initial draft in just three weeks.
  • Improv Roots: Several of the film's most "quirky" and vulnerable scenes were largely improvised to capture raw, unpolished sincerity between the leads.

✅ Pros

  • Masterful tonal balance of humor and heartbreak.
  • Eva Victor’s commanding presence on both sides of the camera.
  • Refreshing, authentic dialogue that feels lived-in.

❌ Cons

  • May be too emotionally raw for some casual viewers.
  • Brief pacing dips during the transition into the second act.
  • Some minor characters feel slightly underdeveloped.

Ray's Full Review:

Sorry, Baby marks the definitive arrival of an exciting and vital new voice in contemporary cinema with actor, writer, and director Eva Victor. What makes Victor's creative sensibility so uniquely appealing is her seamless blend of refreshing sincerity and razor-sharp, witty humor. She does an excellent job of capturing mundane human moments with an uncanny poignancy, managing to find light in the darkest corners of the human experience. As far as the actual plot is concerned, the film tells the tragic yet deeply inspiring tale of a young woman navigating the aftermath of a profound trauma in her life. It is an unvarnished look at recovery, tracking the messy, non-linear reality of emotional survival with immense grace.

The true magic of the production lies in its tonal execution. The film masterfully alternates between moments of deeply relatable, observational humor and segments of raw, life-altering pain. It is this almost effortless alternating that makes the cinematic experience so unique and distinctively effective; the narrative never feels emotionally manipulative or artificially forced. Because the core story is one that is also, unfortunately, incredibly relatable for so many people, the movie's overarching message lands with a far more powerful and resonant impact.

Ultimately, Sorry, Baby stands out as an excellent, top-tier independent movie. It is absolutely full of great, layered performances from the entire cast and packed with interesting, quirky moments that make the final product incredibly memorable. There is very little doubt that this film will deservedly find a home on many critics' Top 10 lists for 2025. Beyond the immediate awards season conversation, it will also likely serve as an emotional touchstone for many viewers for years to come. This brilliant debut hopefully marks the start of a long, highly successful filmmaking career for Eva Victor, and it will be incredibly fun to watch her trajectory progress from here.

🏆 Final Verdict

A courageous debut that balances the absurd with the agonizing. Sorry, Baby is a must-watch for fans of character-driven cinema and a loud announcement of Eva Victor's talent.

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