I walked into Sorry, Baby not knowing what to expect, and left feeling like I’d just had a long, soul-baring talk with a close friend.
Eva Victor makes her feature debut as both star and director, playing Agnes, a literature professor reconnecting with old friend Lydie (Naomi Ackie) while navigating life after “the Bad Thing” that happened to her in college.
What makes the film stand out is its focus not on the assult itself, but on its aftershocks. From the awkward doctor’s visits to the flashes of numbness and the quiet ways pain surfaces when you least expect it. Comfort arrives in small, ordinary acts: a stranger’s kindness, a lost kitten, a good sandwich, simply being seen.
Surprisingly, it’s funny. Agnes’s dry, deadpan humour had me laughing even while my chest still felt heavy from the previous scene.
That balance of pain and comedy feels honest, like the way we joke with friends to survive what hurts most.
Victor’s greatest gift here is her warmth. As both performer and filmmaker, she infuses every frame with humanity, finding hope without softening the weight of real pain. At its core, Sorry, Baby is about friendship—the messy, brutally honest, fiercely supportive kind that can hold you up when nothing else does.
Critics have embraced the film: it holds a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes following its Sundance premiere, where A24 acquired it for $8 million. But beyond the acclaim, what matters is how it feels—unvarnished, heartfelt, and quietly powerful.
If you’ve ever leaned on a friend to get through something impossible, this film will feel achingly familiar. And with Sorry, Baby, Eva Victor proves herself a storyteller worth watching—I can’t wait to see where she takes us next.
Sorry, Baby opens in cinemas on 11th September.