SCREEN | Eva Victor Recovers from 'Sorry, Baby'

"It's a lot to be wherever."

A24 / VVS Films

Talented actor and comedian Eva Victor stars in their impressive filmmaking debut in the effective indie dramedy Sorry, Baby. Produced by Barry Jenkins, the darling of a film tells a small-scale, personal story of a professor healing and recovering from the trauma of a workplace-related sexual assault incident.

A delightfully defiant Naomi Ackie co-stars as Victor's best friend and close grad school roommate/colleague. Her and Victor's sparkling chemistry anchors the vulnerable portrait of friendship, while a kind of dorkishly earnest Lucas Hedges shines in a small role as Victor's neighbour and love interest. How they establishes a clear sense of place and location in the film's small college town setting provides so much colour and intrigue to the detailed world seen on screen.

Sorry, Baby wisely plays with our expectations of how we discuss or avoid discussing sexual violence and its slow-moving recovery. By largely framing the events in their aftermath, Victor foregrounds the victim/survivor's gradual healing through dark humour and an open sense of anxiety. Their film expresses a deceptively sophisticated yet simple perspective on some tricky but all too common subject matter. It's a deeply tender reflection on the pain and anguish of sexual trauma.


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