Sorry, Baby (Sundance) Review: A24 bought this indie breakout for $8 million

PLOT: An academic struggles to recover from a sexual assault committed against her by a man she respected and admired. 

REVIEW: Sorry, Baby walked away from Sundance with one of the buzziest deals of the fest. While the $8 million shelled out for it didn’t set any records, it was more who bought it that made an impression, with it being nabbed by A24. Perhaps the only studio with a cult following, its purchase all but guarantees Sorry, Baby is going to connect with hip audiences in a big way. Indeed, it’s a movie that will resonate deeply with many women, with it an empathetic but surprisingly hopeful and funny account of the aftermath of a devastating rape.

It’s written and directed by Eva Victor, who just might become the next indie darling based on the strength of her work here. She plays Agnes, a post-grad student who lives a stimulating life as a university student alongside her ride-or-die BFF, Lydie (Naomi Ackie). Her life comes crumbling down when her much-admired faculty advisor, Decker (Louis Cancelmi), rapes her following a meeting at his home, with him calculating enough that he’s able to escape any kind of career or legal fallout. This sends Agnes into a tailspin, with the movie depicting the immediate aftermath of the attack, as well as her life several years later, when, ironically, she finds herself with the job (and office) once held by her attacker.

While this sounds horrifically grim material, Sorry, Baby is quite a funny film. Victor’s Agnes faces everything with humour—even the aftermath of her attack. To some extent, this is all just a mask put on by Agnes, with Victor excellently depicting her at her most vulnerable. However, she also doesn’t wallow in the attack, with it never shown on-screen, while the film acknowledges—sadly—that even after something horrible, life still must go on.

Part of the movie’s eventual sense of optimism is that she fills the film with episodes and interactions Agnes has that reaffirm the innate goodness of the people around her. She has a neighbour, Gavin (Lucas Hedges), who’s a genuinely kind man with whom she begins a tentative relationship. Ackie’s Lydie remains a stalwart friend, even as her own life goes on. One of the film’s most compelling moments finds Agnes suffering from a panic attack and being unexpectedly comforted by a gruff, profanity-spewing stranger (John Carroll Lynch) who treats her with a remarkable sense of empathy and kindness. 

All this makes Sorry, Baby highly unique as far as films about trauma go. Indeed, Agnes absolutely refuses to let her attack define her. However, Victor’s layered performance never shies away from how devastating the attack she experienced was and how cold, calculating, and cruel it was. It marks Victor as a strong new voice and seems all but certain to become a much-talked-about film once A24 releases it. It’s something that will strike a chord with many watching it and maybe even give some of them a degree of comfort they weren’t expecting. 

Sundance 2025

GREAT

8

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