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Sorry, Baby (2025 film)

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Sorry, Baby
Theatrical release poster
Directed byEva Victor
Written byEva Victor
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyMia Cioffi Henry
Edited by
  • Alex O'Flinn
  • Randi Atkins
Music byLia Ouyang Rusli
Production
companies
Distributed byA24
Release dates
  • January 27, 2025 (2025-01-27) (Sundance)
  • June 27, 2025 (2025-06-27) (United States)
Running time
103 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budgetc.$1.5 million[2]
Box office$3.3 million[3][4]

Sorry, Baby is a 2025 American black comedy-drama film written and directed by Eva Victor, in their directing debut. Starring Victor, Naomi Ackie, Louis Cancelmi, Kelly McCormack, Lucas Hedges, and John Carroll Lynch. The film follows a reclusive college literature professor struggling with depression following a sexual assault.

The film had its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on January 27, where it won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award and received widespread critical acclaim. It was released by A24 in selected theaters in the United States on June 27, before expanding nationwide on July 25. The film grossed $3.3 million worldwide against a production budget of nearly $1.5 million. For their acting, Victor was nominated at the 83rd Golden Globe Awards in Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama. For their filmmaking, Victor won Best Directorial Debut from the National Board of Review and was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the 31st Critics' Choice Awards.

Plot

[edit]

Agnes Ward is a graduate student in English at Fairport, a liberal arts college in rural Belfast, Maine. She lives with her best friend and fellow graduate student Lydie. Agnes and Lydie are part of a doctoral study group led by professor Preston Decker alongside Natasha, Logan, and Devin. Decker provides Agnes with effusive praise for her draft thesis and shows her his first edition copy of Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse; Decker's praise of Agnes inspires bitterness from Natasha.

Decker invites Agnes to his home to discuss further notes on her thesis. She leaves in the middle of the night in a traumatized state. At home, she confides in Lydie that Decker raped her, and Lydie consoles her. The next day, they learn that Decker has resigned from his position. Agnes attempts to report the assault, and though Fairport's disciplinary team offer their condolences, they explain that they can neither investigate nor punish Decker as he is no longer under the college's employ.

Agnes takes in a stray kitten that she names Olga. One night, she obtains lighter fluid from her neighbor Gavin. She contemplates using it to set Decker's office on fire, which Lydie offers to do herself, but she reconsiders. She admits that she does not want to press charges, as Decker co-parents a child with his ex-wife.

A year later, Agnes is called for jury duty. During voir dire, Agnes admits that she is unsure if she can be impartial due to her experience being assaulted, and that she did not want Decker to go to prison, believing it would not do anything to make him a better person. She is dismissed from jury duty as a result.

Three years after the assault, Agnes has begun a sexual relationship with Gavin. She is offered a full-time teaching position at Fairport, which she accepts proudly, and is given Decker's former office.

While teaching Lolita to her students, Agnes is visited by Natasha. Jealous that Agnes was offered the full-time position over her, Natasha brusquely reveals to Agnes that she had consensual sex with Decker while she was his student. While driving, Agnes suffers a panic attack and pulls into the parking lot of a sandwich shop. The shop's sympathetic owner, Pete, calms her down and gives her a free sandwich, leading to a friendly conversation. Later, Agnes invites Gavin to her house for sex and they tenderly share a bath together. Gavin expresses interest in a deeper commitment with Agnes, but she appears hesitant to reciprocate.

The next year, Lydie, who has graduated and moved to New York City and met her spouse Fran, returns to Belfast to stay with Agnes for several days. Lydie tells Agnes that she and Fran are expecting a baby. Concerned for Agnes's well-being, Lydie implores her not to end her life by suicide. Lydie and Agnes continue to have a supportive and strong bond; Agnes asks Lydie to visit again soon.

Lydie gives birth to a daughter, Jane. Lydie and Fran visit Agnes with Jane, whom Agnes offers to look after while the couple visits a nearby lighthouse. Agnes softly speaks to Jane, encouraging her to confide in Agnes, offering condolences for having been brought into a world where bad things can happen, and expressing hope that Jane will live a happy life in spite of this.

Cast

[edit]
  • Eva Victor as Agnes Ward, a young graduate student and later literature professor
  • Naomi Ackie as Lydie, Agnes's best friend
  • Lucas Hedges as Gavin, Agnes's neighbor and love interest
  • Louis Cancelmi as Preston Decker, Agnes's thesis advisor
  • Kelly McCormack as Natasha, Agnes's classmate
  • John Carroll Lynch as Pete, a sandwich shop owner
  • Hettienne Park as Eleanor Winston
  • E. R. Fightmaster as Fran, Lydie's spouse
  • Cody Reiss as Devin
  • Jordan Mendoza as Logan
  • Jonathan Myles as the man she thought was Decker
  • Liz Bishop as Elizabeth
  • Natalie Rotter-Laitman as Claire
  • Alison Wachtler as clerk
  • Priscilla Manning as Andrea Fuller
  • Celeste Oliva as Sophie
  • Chhoyang Cheshatsang as Thomas
  • Conor Patrick Sweeney as Jeremy

Production

[edit]

Sorry, Baby was written and directed by Eva Victor and produced by Adele Romanski, Mark Ceryak, and Barry Jenkins. Victor is also in the lead cast that includes Naomi Ackie, Lucas Hedges, John Carroll Lynch, Louis Cancelmi, and Kelly McCormack.[5] Victor shadowed Jane Schoenbrun during the production of I Saw the TV Glow before filming Sorry, Baby.[6]

Principal photography took place in Ipswich, Massachusetts, in March 2024.[7] The film was shot on an Alexa Mini LF camera and edited using Media Composer.[8] Lia Ouyang Rusli composed the original film score for the film.[9]

Release

[edit]

Sorry, Baby premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 27, 2025.[10] In early February, A24 acquired worldwide distribution rights to the film for $8 million after a bidding war with studios including Searchlight Pictures, Neon, and Mubi.[11][12] The film served as the closing film of the Directors' Fortnight section at the Cannes Film Festival on May 22, 2025.[13][14] The film was given a limited theatrical release in the United States on June 27, 2025, before expanding to a nationwide release on July 25.[15][16]

It was screened at the 72nd Sydney Film Festival on June 12, 2025,[17] it opened the 78th Edinburgh International Film Festival on August 14, 2025,[18] and was showcased at the 53rd Norwegian International Film Festival in the Main Programme section on August 16, 2025.[19] It also made it to the Official Section of the 70th Valladolid International Film Festival.[20] It was screened in competition in the 36th Stockholm International Film Festival on November 7, 2025.[21]

Reception

[edit]

Critical response

[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 97% of 200 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.4/10. The website's consensus reads: "Carrying off difficult subject matter with a light touch and wry sense of humor, Sorry, Baby triumphantly announces writer-director and star Eva Victor as a formidable talent."[22] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 90 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[23] In June 2025, IndieWire ranked the film at number 77 on its list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 2020s (So Far)".[24]

Accolades

[edit]
Organization Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Alliance of Women Film Journalists 31 December 2025 Best Screenplay, Original Eva Victor Nominated [25]
Best Woman Director Nominated
Best Female Screenwriter Won
Best Women's Breakthrough Performance Nominated
Artios Awards February 26, 2026 Feature Low Budget – Comedy or Drama Jessica Kelly Won [26]
Astra Awards January 9, 2026 Best Actress – Comedy or Musical Eva Victor Nominated [27]
Best Indie Feature Sorry, Baby Nominated
Best First Feature Won [28]
Astra Midseason Movie Awards July 3, 2025 Best Picture Nominated [29]
Best Actress Eva Victor Runner-up
Best Screenplay Sorry, Baby Nominated
Austin Film Critics Association December 18, 2025 Best First Film Eva Victor Won [30]
British Independent Film Awards November 30, 2025 Best International Independent Film Eva Victor, Adele Romanski, Mark Ceryak, Barry Jenkins Nominated [31]
Cannes Film Festival May 24, 2025 Directors' Fortnight Eva Victor Nominated [32]
Camera d'Or Nominated
Queer Palm Nominated
Critics' Choice Movie Awards January 4, 2026 Best Original Screenplay Nominated [33]
Directors Guild of America Awards February 7, 2026 Michael Apted Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in First-Time Theatrical Feature Film Nominated [34]
Georgia Film Critics Association December 27, 2025 Best Picture Sorry, Baby Nominated [35]
Best Actress Eva Victor Nominated
Best Original Screenplay Nominated
Golden Globe Awards January 11, 2026 Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama Nominated [36]
Gotham Film Awards December 1, 2025 Best Feature Mark Ceryak, Barry Jenkins, and Adele Romanski Nominated [37]
Best Original Screenplay Eva Victor Nominated
Film Independent Spirit Awards February 16, 2026 Best Feature Mark Ceryak, Barry Jenkins, and Adele Romanski Nominated [38]
Best Director Eva Victor Nominated
Best Supporting Performance Naomi Ackie Won
Best Screenplay Eva Victor Won
Las Culturistas Culture Awards August 5, 2025 We Could See Boop! Award for Best Thing to See Sorry, Baby & Eva Victor Nominated [39]
London Film Critics' Circle February 1, 2026 Film of the Year Sorry, Baby Nominated [40]
Actress of the Year Eva Victor Nominated
Screenwriter of the Year Nominated
Breakthrough Performer of the Year Nominated
British/Irish Performer of the Year Naomi Ackie Nominated
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards December 7, 2025 Best Screenplay Eva Victor Runner-up [41]
Miskolc International Film Festival September 13, 2025 Emeric Pressburger Prize Sorry, Baby Nominated [42]
Mill Valley Film Festival October 5, 2025 Mind the Gap Award Eva Victor Won [43]
National Board of Review January 13, 2026 Best Directorial Debut Won [44]
Top 10 Independent Films Sorry, Baby Won[a]
Phoenix Film Critics Society December 15, 2025 Top Ten Films Won[b] [45]
Seattle Film Critics Society December 15, 2025 Best Picture Nominated [46]
Best Actress Eva Victor Nominated
Best Screenplay Nominated
Seattle International Film Festival May 25, 2025 Seattle Critics Award Sorry, Baby Won [47]
Stockholm International Film Festival November 14, 2025 Golden Horse Nominated [48]
Sundance Film Festival February 2, 2025 Grand Jury Prize – U.S. Dramatic Competition Nominated [49]
Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award Eva Victor Won
St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards December 14, 2025 Best Original Screenplay Nominated [50]
Best First Feature Film Won
Sydney Film Festival June 15, 2025 Sydney Film Prize Sorry, Baby Nominated [51]
Valladolid International Film Festival November 1, 2025 Golden Spike Sorry, Baby Nominated [52]
Best ActressEva VictorWon

Notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ Award shared with nine other films.
  2. ↑ Award shared with nine other films.

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Sorry, Baby (15)". British Board of Film Classification. July 30, 2025. Retrieved April 17, 2026.
  2. ↑ Beatrice Verhoeven (December 6, 2025). "'Sorry, Baby' Filmmaker and Star Eva Victor Kept a Box of Agnes' Clothes After Filming Wrapped". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 28, 2026. Retrieved December 6, 2025.
  3. ↑ "Sorry, Baby (2025)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  4. ↑ "Sorry, Baby (2025) – Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  5. ↑ Kay, Jeremy (December 11, 2024). "Sundance 2025 line-up includes new Olivia Colman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jennifer Lopez films". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on December 11, 2024. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
  6. ↑ Rapold 2025, p. 42.
  7. ↑ Ashlock, Tristan (March 14, 2024). "Sorry, Baby: County Street goes Hollywood as film crew takes over". The Local News. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
  8. ↑ Rapold 2025, p. 37.
  9. ↑ "Lia Ouyang Rusli Scoring Eva Victor's 'Sorry, Baby'". Film Music Reporter. January 27, 2025. Archived from the original on February 12, 2025. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  10. ↑ Lee, Benjamin (December 11, 2024). "Sundance 2025: Olivia Colman, Jennifer Lopez and Josh O'Connor lead lineup". The Guardian. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
  11. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (February 2, 2025). "Sundance: A24 Takes Sorry, Baby For $8M After U.S. Dramatic Competition Pic's Sunday Bow". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
  12. ↑ Rubin, Rebecca; Lang, Brent (February 2, 2025). "Sorry, Baby Sells to A24 Following Sundance Film Festival Premiere". Variety. Archived from the original on February 2, 2025. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
  13. ↑ Lattanzio, Ryan (April 15, 2025). "Cannes Directors' Fortnight 2025 Lineup Welcomes Christian Petzold to the Festival, Plus 'Sorry, Baby'". IndieWire. Archived from the original on April 16, 2025. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  14. ↑ "The Screenings Guide of the 78th Festival de Cannes". Cannes Film Festival. May 8, 2025. Archived from the original on May 8, 2025. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Sorry, Baby". Archived from the original on July 7, 2025. Retrieved March 30, 2025.
  16. ↑ Colangelo, B. J. (July 18, 2025). "A24's Sorry, Baby Director And Stars On Finding Humor In Horrible Situations [Exclusive Interview]". /Film. Retrieved July 27, 2025.
  17. ↑ "Sorry, Baby". Sydney Film Festival. Retrieved August 23, 2025.
  18. ↑ Ntim, Zac (May 6, 2025). "Edinburgh Film Festival To Open With Eva Victor's Sundance Pic 'Sorry, Baby'". Deadline. Archived from the original on July 25, 2025. Retrieved August 23, 2025.
  19. ↑ "Sorry, Baby". Norwegian International Film Festival. July 31, 2025. Archived from the original on February 20, 2026. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
  20. ↑ "Bi Gan, los Dardenne, Sergei Loznitsa, Lav Diaz y Mascha Schilinski competirán por la Espiga de Oro en la 70 Seminci". Kinótico (in Spanish). July 24, 2025. Archived from the original on August 11, 2025. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  21. ↑ "Sorry, Baby". Stockholm International Film Festival. October 9, 2025. Archived from the original on December 17, 2025. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  22. ↑ "Sorry, Baby". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on June 27, 2025. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
  23. ↑ "Sorry, Baby". Metacritic. Archived from the original on April 30, 2026. Retrieved December 10, 2025.
  24. ↑ "The 100 Best Movies of the 2020s (So Far)". June 16, 2025. Archived from the original on July 27, 2025. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
  25. ↑ Neglia, Matt (December 25, 2025). "The 2025 Alliance Of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ) EDA Award Winners". NextBestPicture. Archived from the original on December 31, 2025. Retrieved December 25, 2025.
  26. ↑ Verhoeven, Beatrice (January 8, 2026). "Casting Society Reveals 2026 Artios Awards Film Nominees, Hosts". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
  27. ↑ admin (November 25, 2025). "The 2025 Hollywood Creative Alliance's (HCA) Astra Film Award Nominations". Next Best Picture. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  28. ↑ Davidson, Denton (January 9, 2026). "Ryan Coogler's Sinners sweeps Astra Film Awards; Warner Bros. dominates with 11 wins". Gold Derby. Archived from the original on February 23, 2026. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
  29. ↑ Neglia, Matt (June 30, 2025). "The 2025 Hollywood Creative Alliance (HCA) Midseason Astra Award Nominations". Next Best Picture. Archived from the original on July 2, 2025. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
  30. ↑ Anderson, Erik (December 10, 2025). "Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA) Nominations: 'One Battle After Another,' 'Sinners' Lead with 11". AwardsWatch. Archived from the original on December 10, 2025. Retrieved December 10, 2025.
  31. ↑ Ford, Lily; Szalai, Georg (November 3, 2025). "British Independent Film Awards: 'My Father's Shadow' and 'Pillion' Lead Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 3, 2025. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  32. ↑ "The films of the Official Selection 2025". Cannes Film Festival. April 10, 2025. Archived from the original on April 10, 2025. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  33. ↑ Davis, Clayton (December 5, 2025). "Critics Choice Awards Nominations: 'Sinners' Dominates With 17 Noms, Cynthia Erivo Snubbed for 'Wicked: For Good'". Variety. Archived from the original on December 5, 2025. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
  34. ↑ "DGA Announces Nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film for 2025". Directors Guild of America. January 8, 2026. Archived from the original on January 8, 2026. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
  35. ↑ Neglia, Matt (December 19, 2025). "The 2025 Georgia Film Critics Association (GAFCA) Nominations". Next Best Picture. Archived from the original on December 22, 2025. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  36. ↑ Moreau, Jordan (December 8, 2025). "Golden Globes 2026 N' Live". Variety. Archived from the original on December 8, 2025. Retrieved December 8, 2025.
  37. ↑ Lewis, Hilary (October 28, 2025). "Gotham Film Awards Nominations: 'One Battle After Another' Leads With a Record Six Nods". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
  38. ↑ Lattanzio, Ryan (December 3, 2025). "Spirit Award Nominees include 'Sorry, Baby', 'Peter Hujar's Day', 'Train Dreams', 'Twinless', and 'The Plague'". IndieWire. Archived from the original on December 6, 2025. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
  39. ↑ Blistein, Jon (August 6, 2025). "Most of the Winners of the 4th Annual Las Culturistas Culture Awards Are Here". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 10, 2026. Retrieved August 6, 2025.
  40. ↑ Marric, Linda (December 15, 2025). "'One Battle After Another', 'Hamnet', and 'Sinners' Lead Nominations for 46th Annual London Critics' Circle Film Awards". London Film Critics' Circle. Archived from the original on December 15, 2025. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
  41. ↑ Davis, Clayton (December 7, 2025). "Los Angeles Film Critics Winners (Updating Live)". Variety. Archived from the original on December 7, 2025. Retrieved December 7, 2025.
  42. ↑ "Hungarian-related films at this year's CineFest". CineFest. Archived from the original on September 16, 2025. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
  43. ↑ "MVFF48 SCHEDULE – Mill Valley Film Festival". www.mvff.com. Retrieved September 13, 2025.
  44. ↑ Lewis, Hilary (December 3, 2025). "National Board of Review Names 'One Battle After Another' as Best Film of 2025". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 6, 2025. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
  45. ↑ Neglia, Matt (December 15, 2025). "The 2025 Phoenix Film Critics Society (PFCS) Winners". Next Best Picture. Archived from the original on December 28, 2025. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
  46. ↑ Neglia, Matt (December 5, 2025). "The 2025 Seattle Film Critics Society (SFCS) Nominations". Next Best Picture. Archived from the original on December 18, 2025. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
  47. ↑ ""Sorry, Baby" wins SIFF 2025 Seattle Critics Award". Seattle Film Critics Society. May 25, 2025.
  48. ↑ "Here are the winners of the Stockholm International Film Festival 2025". Mynewsdesk. November 14, 2025. Archived from the original on April 24, 2026. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  49. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 31, 2025). "'Atropia' Takes U.S. Grand Jury Prize Dramatic At Sundance Film Festival: Full Winners List". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 31, 2025. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  50. ↑ Neglia, Matt (December 7, 2025). "The 2025 St. Louis Film Critics Association (StLFCA) Nominations". Next Best Picture. Archived from the original on December 13, 2025. Retrieved December 7, 2025.
  51. ↑ Maddox, Garry (June 15, 2025). "Amid conflict at home, Iranian director wins top prize at Sydney Film Festival". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on March 4, 2026. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
  52. ↑ "Avance de Seminci: estos son los nombres que competirán por la Espiga de Oro". Cadena SER. July 24, 2025. Archived from the original on August 17, 2025. Retrieved September 12, 2025.
  53. ↑ Blanes, Pepa (November 1, 2025). "Espiga de Oro 'ex aequo' para 'The Mastermind' de Kelly Reichardt y para la producción española 'Magallanes' de Lav Diaz". Cadena SER (in Spanish). Archived from the original on December 10, 2025. Retrieved November 1, 2025.

Works cited

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