Sorry, Baby – Movie Review

Sorry, Baby is a poignant depiction of trauma and coming to terms with it, with an ironic comedic approach which hits the target sharper than full-blown melodrama.

Writer, Director, Actor: Eva Victor

Agnes (Eva Victor) is a literature professor at Fairpoint, a Liberal Arts College in rural New England.

We meet her as she is receiving a visit from bestie Lydie (Naomi Ackie), driving in from New York City.

They are part of a group of five post-grad students who came under the tutelage of novelist Professor Preston Decker (Louis Cancelmi).

Agnes now occupies that role as replacement for Decker. But we get the immediate impression that still waters run deep and there is turmoil and turbulence below the surface.

The five meet later for a joint dinner at the home of Natasha (Kelly McCormack), the third female of the group, being completed with two young men.

There are certain tensions and smouldering animosity inside that little group, with a little humour cutting through the ice like a Woody Allen comedy of manners.

This lightness of touch, or ambivalence marks the tone of the movie, as in extended flashbacks it is revealed the dark event at the core of the movie.

The five were bright young hopefuls, post grads in Literature at the college who were under the guidance of Decker.

There is clearly an obsession from the professor towards the young Agnes, who stands out with the quality of her work. But the older man is far from overbearing or seductive. He is more in thrall.

A sexual incident occurs which is not portrayed graphically. Agnes is invited to his place to discuss her recent thesis.

Time passes at the doorway, from late afternoon to evening. Agnes is seen leaving the house in a dishevelled state, with the professor being framed in the doorway as she stumbles away.

The reality of sexual assault can be full of ambiguities when there are no clear-cut boundaries of illegality.

To process what happened to her, Agnes found herself in a situation where there was no solid bottom of foundation.

She confides in Lydie, who was her flatmate at the time.

The College are concerned about the alleged incident. But the abrupt resignation of Decker limits their power of investigation and recourse. Why that is, is not clear but certainly not surprising in the knowledge that bureaucracies have their own in-built inertia.

That Agnes eventually gets the job left vacant by the sudden departure of Decker is not only bittersweet, but it paradoxically increases the pressure of the Chinese finger trap Agnes is now caught in.

The director can skilfully ratchet the tension that Agnes is under, often undercutting with a certain dark humour.

She finds she is unfit for jury duty with her unresolved conflict being a barrier. She must acknowledge she does not want to punish Decker because he also has responsibility for a young child

A revelation from her nemesis Natasha, about similar behaviour from Decker, leaves her with a panic attack which is resolved by a kindly Café owner who makes her a sandwich.

The best is the encounter with friendly neighbour Gavin (Lucas Hedges). Sexual healing can also be very funny.

Lydie reveals to Agnes on the opening visit sequence, that she is pregnant from a sperm donor.

That new baby closes the movie with Agnes reflecting that life can and will be unfair.

Sorry, Baby is not a neat resolution of a terrible event. It can examine the deeper psychological impact while leavening it with some deprecating humour.

Rev. Orange Peel

Sorry, Baby opens in cinemas for general release 4 September 2025