Sorry, Baby is the debut feature film from writer, director, and star Eva Victor, and is one that has already begun to paint them a bright future in the industry. The movie has been hailed as a fresh and respectful look at trauma that balances a hard reality with humor and the beauty of life continuing on.
The movie tells a story about relationships and recovery through the eyes of Victor’s Agnes who, after a visit with a close friend, realizes she has been stuck in her life and decides to find a way to move forward. The heart and sensitivity of that journey’s depiction make the film a potential 2026 Oscar contender.
Also starring alongside Victor are Lucas Hedges and Naomi Ackie, the latter of whom ScreenRant’s Sorry, Baby review dubbed “excellent” in the movie. Hedges plays a neighbor with whom Agnes has a fling, and Ackie portrays Lydie, Agnes’ best friend.
ScreenRant’s Liam Crowley interviewed Sorry, Baby writer, director, and star Eva Victor and co-stars Lucas Hedges and Naomi Ackie about their work on the Sundance standout. Victor discussed their choice to direct the film, while Ackie and Hedges discussed their characters’ relationships with Agnes.
Eva Victor Wasn’t Originally Going To Direct Sorry, Baby
“I … Felt Fraudulent About It”
Sorry, Baby introduces Eva Victor as an impressive multi-hyphenate, but the extent to which that was realized wasn’t always the plan. “I knew I wanted to act in it,” Victor said, “and then was like, ‘We should find a director.’” When asked who should helm the film, though, Victor kept reaching the same answer: “‘Well, I don’t know.’”
“I went to think about it,” Victor said, “and realized I desperately did want to direct it. I just was scared and felt fraudulent about it.” This led the filmmaker to an interesting revelation, she revealed.
“I spent a year and a half trying to prepare as a director so that I could get rid of as much fraudulence as possible, but, in that journey, [learned] that fraudulence is a part of it, and I just had to jump.”
Naomi Ackie Reflects On Sorry, Baby’s Themes Of Friendship
“Learning That Love Can Separate And Expand”
In Sorry, Baby, Agnes’ discovery that her best friend Lydie is having a child is a big motivator in her own personal journey, and that dynamic is one that Naomi Ackie understands. “My best friend… I met her at 11 years old and she’s my first love. She’s my first f**king love.”
“She found her guy first, and he’s amazing,” Ackie continued, “and I noticed the shift [in our relationship.] I was like, ‘Her love is also going elsewhere, and I have to adapt if I want to stay in her life.’” When she found her own partner, Ackie revealed, there became “this bonding thing of understanding how a relationship works.”
“The things we talk about are so different now, and there’s so much beauty in that.”
“There is something like that with Lydie,” Ackie said, tying it back to Sorry, Baby. “When you’re young and you meet your bestie, [it’s] like, ‘You are the only, most important person in my life.’ And then you have to learn how to expand it and go, ‘We can inhabit separate lives as well.’”
Lucas Hedges Introduces Us To Agnes’ Neighbor Gavin
“He Sees Agnes As The Main Character”
In Sorry, Baby, Agnes has a fling with her neighbor Gavin who actor Lucas Hedges described as “really alone, just living in this house with his mom.” And, according to the actor, although Gavin doesn’t know the specifics of Agnes’ trauma, he senses there’s quite a bit beneath the surface.
“I feel like, in Gavin’s world, he sees Agnes as the main character of a story. He sees a star.”
“I think, maybe …. He sees that she’s bigger than the moment she’s going through, in a way,” Hedges added. “He doesn’t know what she’s going through, but he knows this isn’t a normal person just walking through the woods.”
Ackie agreed, saying, “When you do meet people who are going through transitions, I think they’re more magnetic.”
Eva Victor also reflected on how the intimate scenes between Gavin and Agnes give insight into the character’s personality. “I think the most special thing that Gavin does for Agnes is be there and be a witness and not be intrusive.”
“Agnes, in the first intimate scene, is not really there, and I think that’s very obviously felt by him,” Victor shared, “but he doesn’t push it or try to get more information.”
They also referenced another moment where “Agnes has an experience of finally being back in her body with pleasure,” in which “She’s sort of making her own pleasure happen, but he’s a witness to it, which is huge … I think he understands the significance of that moment, though he doesn’t understand why it’s happening, maybe. Which is a miracle.”
Sorry, Baby is in theaters now.
Source: ScreenRant Plus
