So many stories about strong women seem to focus on the fact that they must have lived through trauma to become the person they are today. Buffy Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) had to die and be resurrected. Olivia Benson (Law and Order: Special Victims Unit) was a better cop and protector because of her past abuse. Beth Davis (Stalker) escaped from a homicidal ex-boyfriend. The list could go on and on. This isn’t to say we shouldn’t have these kinds of topics in the media we consume, just that it’s become a trope – not just a lazy one, but one that justifies the idea that we can only be who we are now based on others’ sins from the past. Sorry, Baby doesn’t fall victim to this though and is powerful in a way that doesn’t belie its setting but allows its characters to work through grief without becoming their defining characteristic.
A quick aside that this review will cover the topic of sexual assault which may be difficult for some to read.
Agnes (Eva Victor) appears to be the epitome of success. Quickly being promoted to a full-time professor at a liberal arts college and surrounded by (mostly) good friends, her life seems nearly perfect. Except for the fact that her office at the college used to belong to her former professor who used his influence and wiles to sexually assault her one night at his house. This reminder obviously brings up memories of it and begins to affect her mental health both at work and home. Leaning heavily on her long-distance best friend Lydie (Naomi Ackie), she walks the path of healing one day at a time and overcomes each obstacle that is thrown in her way.
Told through a non-linear structure that has us experience her life through multiple time jumps, Sorry, Baby expertly weaves us through her life from college student to the present day. In a sense, this makes her her own foil since we see her both before, during, and after the assault (referred to as “The Bad Thing”) and how it does deeply affect her. But it’s not her – she’s not a victim. True, she was victimized, and that does haunt her, but who she is as a person is never sacrificed for the sake of the story beat.
Which isn’t to say the topic of what happened is not vitally important both in our present day and in the story. She has doubts, struggles trusting people, and a host of other things that make days difficult, but she’s still the same person she was before. She won’t wallow in self-pity or allow herself to be just another statistic. Her razor-sharp wit and sense of humor shine through brightly, and her life is vivacious and captivating to those around her.
All of this stems not only from some of the best writing we’ve seen in a movie but also performances that need to be recognized now and into the future. Writer/director Eva Victor is masterful in how she frames her scenes and evokes a spirit of honesty and humor from her characters. The dialogue between people is not just downright funny and acerbic but also tender and sincere. You feel that Agnes and Lydie’s friendship is genuine and real. In fact, it often seems like we are just watching two real people engaging with each other and aren’t actors in a movie. Which leads us to the fact that these two actors are in a form that few other can match, let alone compete with. What Eva Victor and Naomi Ackie do here is breathtaking in its execution. Watching them banter, give each other crap, and truly love and care about each other is so lifelike that it could be lifted directly from almost a conversation any of us have had with our close loved ones. In fact, I can say that I’ve never seen this kind of chemistry in anything. It’s just that good.
Simply put, Sorry, Baby is perfect. There is quite literally nothing that should be changed about it or that could make it better than it is. Its heavy subject matter is approached respectfully and is used as the moment in time it needed to be while not being the focus of the entire movie. It and its repercussions are never glossed over, however, it shows us that a person living through a horrible thing does not make them some kind of damaged goods. Life and love breathe through every moment, and we are reminded that all of us are whole people who deserve, and will be, the very best.