Humor is a coping mechanism. Eva Victor brings a surprising amount to Sorry, Baby, an honest and heartbreaking story about someone learning to live with the worst thing they ever endured. Many stories have dealt with sexual assault since #MeToo became common terminology. Some come from a personal place (Baby Reindeer) while others are based on the experiences of others (She Said). Sorry, Baby is Victor’s story through and through. However, countless others can identify with the experiences and emotions unpacked here. It’s a film about an individual, yet it feels universal, as if any of us could be Victor.
In addition to writing and directing, Victor plays Agnes, a grad student wrapping up her dissertation. Agnes is the star student of Professor Decker, who praises her work. Reading Decker’s comments, Agnes and her best friend Lydie (Naomi Ackie) joke about the professor perhaps having a crush. In private, Decker casually mentions to Agnes that he’s divorced. When he doesn’t show up for a meeting, Agnes accepts an invitation to his house to go over her thesis. We don’t see what happens inside. We don’t need to. All we need to know is that it’s day when Agnes goes in and night when she leaves, wanting nothing more than to wash off what just transpired. She relays what happened to Lydie, confirming our fears.
While the college claims that they’re sympathetic about what happened to Agnes, it’s clearly all business to them. Since Decker resigns on his own, there’s nothing the college can do to punish him. Agnes could take her case to the police, but she doesn’t see the point. Even if Decker was sent to jail after a drawn-out legal battle, he wouldn’t change. Sorry, Baby isn’t about a woman seeking justice. It’s about healing. Agnes finds warmth in Lydie and an adorable kitten she adopts. She also forms a friends-with-benefits relationship with her neighbor Gavin (Lucas Hedges), although you can tell he’d like something more. These moments provide levity with Victor’s background as a comedian on full display. They’re passing distractions from the pain underneath, however.
Even as life goes on, Agnes struggles to move past what happened to her. Sorry, Baby wisely avoids ever shaming Agnes. Some people are more empathetic than others. The doctor who examines her after the assault has zero bedside manner, but nobody blames Agnes. It seems like the film might go down this path when Agnes is confronted by a rival (Kelly McCormack), upset that she got a promotion instead of her. The scene goes in another direction, triggering Agnes in ways she didn’t anticipate. This leads to one of the film’s most effective moments between Agnes and a kindly stranger played by John Carroll Lynch, who reminds us why he’s one of our best character actors, even with limited screen time.
While much of the film is told linearly, Sorry, Baby begins years after the incident as Lydie tells Agnes that she’s pregnant. Once the baby is born, Agnes would like to provide words of comfort as she cradles the little one. Agnes herself is apprehensive about having children, though, knowing that it means bringing them into a world where people like Decker will be looking to take advantage. Agnes can’t promise the baby that she’ll always be protected. God forbid something does happen, she can’t guarantee there will be any easy answers. All Agnes can do is assure the baby that she won’t be alone, although it’ll often seem that way.