Film Review - Sorry, Baby
Images courtesy of VVS Films.
Sorry, Baby does not dilute the nuance of recovering from trauma and instead blossoms into a haunting yet hilarious story of someone trying to rebuild their life. Eva Victor’s debut crashes onto the scene with poise and a voice that you can’t ignore.
We are introduced to Agnes a few years after ‘the bad thing’ has happened. She still lives in the house she shared with her friend Lydie (Naomi Ackie), who moved to New York after graduate school. Agnes struggles with the ongoing effects of trauma that is keeping her in the town and school where she got hurt. In what sounds like a simple plot, Victor builds a devasting commentary on the realities of sexual assault and how a person survives. You are taken through a non-linear narrative that is only marked by how Agnes categorises the year, the one with the baby, the one with the bad thing, and endure Agnes’ journey in this black-comedy film.
The script was certainly the masterpiece of the film, delivering heart-wrenching dialogue, some of which I can honestly remember word for word. My appreciation for the writing stems from Victor’s gentle directness after ‘the bad thing’. They do not shy away from the parts I often see other films skip, instead they deliver raw scenes immediately after the assault with breathtaking performances by Victor and co-star Naomi Ackie. Despite heavy subject matter, Victor expertly folds in deadpan humour with the disillusioned nihilism adopted by Agnes. The script is filled with tender, potent and gutting dialogue which inevitably created an unbreakable foundation for the cinematography to grow from.
Sorry, Baby utilises static shots and naturalistic soundscapes to create a serene and intimate imagination of Agnes’ world. As almost the entire film rejects music, Agnes’ emotions and actions become the centre of attention and the silence breathes the realism this story needs. It does not try to be exceptionally profound or technically astute. It keeps to simple and subtle filmmaking that lets the script speak for itself. As a result, it captures frames that can sear into the mind of its viewer and offer the lives of these characters in a way that leaves a mark.
Sorry, Baby is a story of someone trying to live their life as best they can. It is an especially important voice to be heard and understood today. Victor has produced a stunning film that adds to the growing narrative of how male entitlement and violence can manifest in our world as well as instill fear for the future generation of children. The film appreciates the honesty of having to simply keep going even when your body has been violated, even if you are not sure how.
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Sorry, Baby is screening in cinemas from Thursday the 4th of September. For tickets and more info, click here.