No need to apologize for this great movie.
In certain ways, I’m reminded a little of “Manchester by the Sea,” which also has a character losing his magic after a tragedy, and “Small Things Like These,” which also makes the right decision of not showing us whatever horrors women are placed in. “Sorry, Baby” takes those genes from those movies, and uses them for honest and sometimes funny appeal.
The movie (also produced by Barry Jenkins) was filmed in Massachusetts, and given its cold time period and peaceful ambiance, you can easily tell “Sorry, Baby” is a small and somber film that’s more than meets the eye. The state could be considered to be a character because of how it surrounds itself with the pathos within, and cinematographer Mia Cioffi Henry beautifully photographs it.
Eva Victor (whom I’m sure many of you haven’t heard of) already has a voice as an actress, a writer, and a director, and I just read that she identifies herself as non-binary with she/they pronouns. She also based this movie on her own tragic past, and expresses it emotionally here. She guides herself as Agnes, a self-conscious Massachusetts literary professor, who has suffered from a sexual assault by her former advisor (Louis Cancelmi) and struggles to move on.
There are times when she keeps herself preoccupied, thanks to her job, her pregnant and lesbian best friend Lydia (Naomi Ackie), her neighbor and sex buddy Gavin (Lucas Hedges, whom you already know was from “Manchester by the Sea”), and her cat. But there are times when you can tell she can’t, like her denying jury duty or finding an unexpected kindness of a sandwich shop owner (John Carroll Lynch).
When the main heroine’s pathos happens, we’re given a long shot of a house during the day and ending at night. And she tells her friend what happened to her. It’s haunting all the way through, and it’s probably for the best we don’t see what goes on. Victor presents this movie through the before, the during, and the after of it all. And the silence in the audience helps sets the ambiance very well.
Sexual assault is impossible for me to comprehend, but I can sympathize with the victims. The assailants can either get away with the crime or face justice (Harvey Weinstein is in prison for his disgusting acts), and “Sorry, Baby” has the assailant get away with it. There are reasons that I don’t want to delve deeply into in this review for the sake of spoiler alerts, but I can say that unfortunately life can sometimes give people raw deals. But this movie chooses not to have the irritating approach and we don’t get to see the assailant for the rest of the story.
When Agnes tries to move on with her life, there are no noisy arguments or predictable cliches to keep the movie longer. There can be a dry sense of humor that we can acknowledge and get some chuckles within. It’s kind of something that Adam Sandler pulled off in “Punch Drunk Love,” and I believe Awkwafina got her dramatic turn in “The Farewell.” If you haven’t seen any of those movies, I suggest you do, and I suggest you also see “Sorry, Baby.”
Victor is sad and funny as Agnes, and as a filmmaker, she delivers the goods. In fact, I like to see her collaborate with Kenneth Lonergan one day, but I don’t want to rush into things just yet. It’s further proof that not every drama needs arguments or yelling, but breathing exercises, emotions, humor as a comedic relief character all its own, and human qualities. This is a somber picture and you feel something big inside.
Expanding in Theaters Throughout the Month.
