Sorry, Baby

Sorry, Baby is a slow burn-it takes its time to build tension, and for a while, you're not quite sure where it's going or what it's about. But that's what makes it work. The early pacing is essential; it lets you settle into the characters and truly get to know them before the tension creeps in and the stakes start to rise.

The acting is incredible-subtle, restrained, and deeply natural. It's a masterclass in quiet, grounded performance. There's a scene where the lead delivers a monologue in the tub, and it doesn't feel like she's reciting lines. We're with her in that memory. We're seeing what she saw. I got the sense that some of the film may have been improvised, but if so, it only added to the realism. The whole film has a lived-in, organic quality.

That said, a few of the smaller supporting roles toward the end didn't quite land for me and briefly took me out of the experience. And I'm still unsure what Agnes wanted-what her internal drive was. There's such beautiful artistic depth here, but I couldn't fully grasp what was pushing her forward. Then again, maybe that's the point, as hinted in the final monologue.

There's also powerful symbolism throughout. One moment that stood out was her driving, the headlights trailing behind her like a new memory that will chase her forever. Another was the way the passage of time was expressed through visual shifts, especially at the professor's home. These moments are executed with both restraint and emotional weight.

The film resists cliché. One of its most striking choices is its sense of timelessness. You can't quite place what year it's set in-there are no cell phones, the clothing is neutral, and her thesis is typed on paper rather than submitted digitally. If I had to guess, I'd say 1998. I caught a glimpse of an older New York license plate that reinforced that impression.

Ultimately, Sorry, Baby delivers a quiet but profound message about humanity: we have to be prepared to live in an imperfect world. We will get hurt-that's just part of it-but we have to find a way to keep going.

I am not a great fan of plot spilling in reviews, so I will try to approach this film round and round. It has so much more; other than the plot itself and one of this movie's main occurrences revolves around the fact that there is a word and a situation that no one wants to describe or call by name.

First of all, I have just adored the fact that this movie is playing with his timeline. I've like it since I first encountered it at Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" and from that day, I have a soft spot for those kind of movies, that makes us assemble the plot and it's details, according to stages from different times.

Second - this movie has some fine small scenes and conversations that doesn't feel related to the plot, but together those situations, scenes and sequences make this movie to be what it is. Small encounters and conversations that makes this movie to be so unique - sad, funny and dramatic - exactly like its main character.

It is directed and scripted by the main character and actress (Eva Victor), that I've personally never heard or watched in other movies. The other actors and actresses, that hovers above and aside are so good and contributes to shape and mold her character's...character and nature.

The puzzle that the viewer needs to assemble is composed out of several chapters, that have hinted headlines. The directing and screenwriting of several situations is just brilliant. Leaves you wonder about a situation that you can guess what it is according to details that were put on the sides of the way to the scene.

And like in each one of "Harry Potter" books and films - there is one word in this movie that is not allowed to tell or say. It can be vaguely described or hinted, but if someone will spill it out, it will make the main character confront with her emotions and feelings.

Thus, and after all being said, we understand that our protagonist should find other ways to deal with what she's been through. Sometimes it is through laughter or sarcasm and sometimes...through speaking with characters that cannot judge or understand.

Anyway...this movie has a lot of charm in it. Great acting skills and surprisingly also great writing and directing skills by a young, promising young woman, which demonstrates control over each and every one of the described skills. It deserves 7.5 stars, from my side.

Sorry, Baby was a movie I hadn't heard about or read any reviews. So, I went in not knowing what to expect.

Agnes (Eva Victor) is a full professor (!) in her 20's (!!!) at some unidentified small college that seems to be in northern Massachusetts by the seashore. Agnes is kind of quirky, a little off at times and obviously a loner. Her one good friend, Lydie (Naomi Ackie), has left the house they shared - platonically - and moved on to a career and a relationship in NYC. Lydie then comes for a visit and they are both very chill and at ease with one another in a nice way. Lydie then reveals that she is pregnant. The movie then bounces back to when they and some friends were working on their dissertations three or so years a ago, then to the more immediate term of the past year or so and then jumps ahead to the not too distant future when Lydie has had her child.

All through the focus is on Agnes and a trauma she experienced (no spoiler) and how she is coping and how mostly Lydie helped her. The mood bounces from stress, to being poignant and the to being funny - but none of it laugh out loud funny. It's a quirky portrait of single childless cat lady (yes, there is a cat featured pretty significantly) without really embracing that concept for self-deprecation or for self-affirmation. The movie meanders, which is nice for a change, yet doesn't really make any kind of impact one way or another. Sorry, Baby is just there.

Sorry, Baby won't be everyone's cup of tea - and I would recommend waiting for it to come out on streaming.

Beautiful acting by the lead, but the script lacks full development of the characters. Hard to understand main character's motivation. No development of origin. Also, she has no family. Why?

Lastly, portrayal of males was 1 dimensional and unbalanced. We see the sociopath, the nice but weak guy, the main doctor, and the strangely helpful but random older man. But we don't have the presence of one strong male in Agnes' life. That would have made this movie much better and more balanced.

Without that, you get a gut punch of having watched something really terrible happen to a nice person without any real good explanation and without enough redemption.

As such, it was unpleasant without enough redemption.

Films that explore similar themes (isolation, sexual assault, and trauma) often emphasise drama or strong emotional undercurrents to make a strong case for their cause; however, 'Sorry, Baby' takes a different approach.

The execution is remarkably realistic, free from superficiality or unnecessary exaggeration. While this grounded representation may occasionally appear dry or unstimulating, however I believe the dialogues; specifically the interactions between the characters ere able to convey deeper meanings that transcend traditional storytelling methods.

I appreciate how the nuances of an inexpressive character enduring profound pain and feelings of alienation from friends and society are effectively portrayed through Eva Victor's understated performance and as both the writer and director of the film, she clearly grasped the essence of the narrative well and executed it with sincerity and care.

My only reservation pertains to the occasional inclusion of humorous undertones, particularly given the film's serious, grim subject matter. Whilst this choice was undoubtedly intentional, I find it difficult to fully embrace it.