Sorry, Baby – Dir: Eva Victor (13th Floor Film Review)
Eva Victor’s (Billions) directorial debut, Sorry, Baby, is an original, wrenching, and practically perfect film. It’s a quietly devastating look at female friendship and the lasting impact of trauma, all told with a wonderful balance of tenderness and humour.
Victor stars alongside Naomi Ackie, Louis Cancelmi, Kelly McCormack, Hettienne Park, E.R. Fightmaster, Lucas Hedges, John Carroll Lynch—and let’s not forget Olga, the cutest cat to grace the screen since “Cat” in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
The film kicks off with Agnes (Victor) reunited with her best friend Lydie (Naomi Ackie, Blink Twice, The End of the F**king World) at her New England home. They spend the evening hanging out with Agnes’s cat, Olga, swapping stories and catching up. During the night, Lydie shares the news that she’s pregnant.
From there, the story unfolds through a series of vignettes, following Agnes, a promising grad student whose life is forever changed by an unnamed traumatic event. The film jumps back and forth in time, showing us Agnes before, during, and after—but not in any neat order. It mirrors the way trauma and grief actually feel: tangled, non-linear, and deeply disorienting.
Victor smartly avoids showing the “something bad” directly. Instead, we watch from outside the house as the tension builds to almost unbearable levels. It’s a brilliant choice that makes Agnes’s trauma hit even harder, drawing us into her inner world without needing to be graphic.
Now, despite the heavy themes, don’t worry—it’s not all gloom. Victor started out making funny short videos on X (formerly Twitter), and that comedic sensibility is still here. There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, making Sorry Baby a black comedy with a big, tender heart.
The performances are brilliant across the board. Ackie absolutely nails Lydie—the acerbic, fiercely loyal best friend we all wish we had. The one who can take our worst disasters and somehow make them feel a bit less awful. Lucas Hedges is perfectly cast as Agnes’s neighbour and low-key love interest. And E.R. Fightmaster brings quiet vulnerability to Fran, Lydie’s partner, who’s struggling to manage her feelings about the bond between Lydie and Agnes.
Female friendships—and rivalries—run through the film in a way that feels raw and real. Kelly McCormack is spot-on as Natasha, a fellow postgrad whose simmering resentment of Agnes’s “chosen one” status is impossible to miss.
And Agnes as the chosen one? Yeah… not in any way you’d want to be. Louis Cancelmi is chilling as Preston Decker—the charming, effusive mentor who turns out to be a predator. His performance is a powerful reminder that sometimes the monsters wear the friendliest faces.
The film’s title comes from Agnes’s final scene, where she makes a tender promise to Lydie and Fran’s baby daughter. She admits she wishes nothing bad would ever happen to her, but the world is a cruel place. Still, Agnes vows to be a safe space for the child—a lovely, full-circle moment that captures the heart of the film’s message about friendship, care, and survival.
Sorry Baby is full of these moments—small, beautiful pockets of grace and warmth, even amid the pain.
Jo Barry
Sorry, Baby is in cinemas now.
PSA: I haven’t talked much about the cat, but rest assured—Olga is a full-on character. And for those of you who, like me, get anxious when adorable animals appear on screen: there’s a lovely, reassuring message from the director on Instagram.
PPS: There is a mouse. It doesn’t make it. Consider yourself warned.
