Sorry, Baby (2025 film)

Last updated

Sorry, Baby
Sorry, Baby poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Eva Victor
Written byEva Victor
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyMia Cioffi Henry
Edited by
  • Alex O'Flinn
  • Randi Atkins
Music byLia Ouyang Rusli
Production
companies
Distributed by A24
Release dates
  • January 27, 2025 (2025-01-27)(Sundance)
  • June 27, 2025 (2025-06-27)(United States)
Running time
104 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$3 million [2] [3]

Sorry, Baby is a 2025 American independent black comedy-drama film written and directed by Eva Victor in their filmmaking debut. The film stars Victor, Naomi Ackie, Louis Cancelmi, Kelly McCormack, Hettienne Park, E. R. Fightmaster, Lucas Hedges, and John Carroll Lynch.

Contents

The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 27, 2025, where it received widespread critical acclaim. It was released by A24 in select theaters in the United States on June 27, 2025, before expanding nationwide on July 25.

Plot

Agnes is a literature professor at Fairpoint, a liberal arts college in rural New England. She lives alone in a quiet, forested area with a gray cat. Her friend Lydie visits from New York City and shares that she is pregnant via sperm donor. Agnes and Lydie visit their friends Natasha, Logan, and Devin, the five of them former graduate students and classmates from Fairpoint.

Back during their time in the graduate program, Agnes and her friends are part of an advising group led by literature professor Preston Decker. When meeting with Decker, Agnes admits she is very fond of and frequently thinks about his first published novel. Decker in kind praises Agnes' thesis and shows her his first edition copy of Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse .

Later, Agnes meets with Decker at his house. She leaves in the middle of the night in a traumatized state, revealing to Lydie that Decker sexually assaulted her. Lydie consoles her, but the next day they are informed that Decker has resigned from his position at the college. When meeting with the college's disciplinary board, they reveal to Agnes that they can neither investigate nor punish him, as Decker is now no longer under the college's employ.

Agnes, emotionally numb and traumatized from her experience, takes in a stray kitten. She contemplates setting Decker's office on fire, which Lydie offers to do herself, but she reconsiders. She admits she does not want to press charges, as Decker co-parents a child with his ex-wife. Agnes later begins a sexual relationship with her neighbor Gavin.

Time passes. When called for jury duty, Agnes admits she is unsure she can be impartial due to her experience being assaulted. She admits she did not want Decker to go to prison as it would not do anything to make him a better person. She is dismissed.

After positive feedback from her stint as a part-time professor at the college, Agnes is offered a full-time position. She is given Decker's former office. Natasha brusquely admits to Agnes that she is envious of her success and reveals that she had sex with Decker while they were students. This triggers a panic attack, and Agnes is later calmed by Pete, a sympathetic sandwich shop owner.

Back in the present, Lydie gives birth to her daughter, Jane. She and her spouse Fran visit Agnes' house. Agnes offers to look after the baby while Lydie and Fran visit a nearby lighthouse. Agnes softly talks to the baby, telling her that she should always feel free to confide in her. She offers condolences to the baby for having been brought into a world where bad things can happen, but expresses hope that she can have a good life.

Cast

Production

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. [4]

Principal photography took place in Ipswich, Massachusetts, in March 2024. [5]

Release

Sorry, Baby premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 27, 2025. [6] 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. [7] [8] The film served as the closing film of the Directors' Fortnight section at the Cannes Film Festival on May 22, 2025. [9] [10] 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. [11] [12]

It was screened at the 72nd Sydney Film Festival on June 12, 2025, [13] it opened the 78th Edinburgh International Film Festival on August 14, 2025, [14] and was showcased at the 53rd Norwegian International Film Festival in the Main Programme section on August 16, 2025. [15]

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 96% of 130 critics' reviews are positive.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." [16] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 89 out of 100, based on 29 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". [17]

In June 2025, IndieWire ranked the film at number 77 on its list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 2020s (So Far)". [18]

Awards and nominations

OrganizationDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef.
Sundance Film Festival February 2, 2025 Grand Jury Prize – U.S. Dramatic CompetitionSorry, BabyNominated [19]
Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award Eva Victor Won
Cannes Film Festival May 24, 2025 Directors' Fortnight Nominated [20]
Camera d'Or Nominated
Queer Palm Nominated
Seattle International Film Festival May 25, 2025 Seattle Critics Award Sorry, BabyWon [21]
Astra Midseason Movie Awards July 3, 2025 Best PictureNominated [22]
Best Actress Eva Victor Runner-up
Best ScreenplaySorry, BabyNominated
Las Culturistas Culture Awards August 5, 2025We Could See Boop! Award for Best Thing to SeeSorry, Baby & Eva Victor Nominated [23]
Miskolc International Film Festival September 13, 2025Emeric Pressburger PrizeSorry, BabyPending [24]

References

  1. "Sorry, Baby (2025)". Irish Film Classification Office. July 15, 2025. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  2. "Sorry, Baby (2025)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  3. "Sorry, Baby (2025) – Financial Information". The Numbers . Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  4. 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.
  5. Ashlock, Tristan (March 14, 2024). "Sorry, Baby: County Street goes Hollywood as film crew takes over". The Local News. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
  6. Lee, Benjamin (December 11, 2024). "Sundance 2025: Olivia Colman, Jennifer Lopez and Josh O'Connor lead lineup". The Guardian . Retrieved December 11, 2024.
  7. 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.
  8. Rubin, Rebecca; Lang, Brent (February 2, 2025). "Sorry, Baby Sells to A24 Following Sundance Film Festival Premiere". Variety . Retrieved February 2, 2025.
  9. Lattanzio, Ryan (April 15, 2025). "Cannes Directors' Fortnight 2025 Lineup Welcomes Christian Petzold to the Festival, Plus 'Sorry, Baby'". IndieWire . Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  10. "The Screenings Guide of the 78th Festival de Cannes". Cannes Film Festival. May 8, 2025. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
  11. "Sorry, Baby" . Retrieved March 30, 2025.
  12. 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.
  13. "Sorry, Baby". Sydney Film Festival. Retrieved August 23, 2025.
  14. Ntim, Zac (May 6, 2025). "Edinburgh Film Festival To Open With Eva Victor's Sundance Pic 'Sorry, Baby'". Deadline. Retrieved August 23, 2025.
  15. "Sorry, Baby". Norwegian International Film Festival. July 31, 2025. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
  16. "Sorry, Baby". Rotten Tomatoes . Archived from the original on June 27, 2025. Retrieved August 6, 2025.
  17. "Sorry, Baby". Metacritic . Retrieved July 4, 2025.
  18. "The 100 Best Movies of the 2020s (So Far)". June 16, 2025. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
  19. D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 31, 2025). "'Atropia' Takes U.S. Grand Jury Prize Dramatic At Sundance Film Festival: Full Winners List". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  20. "The films of the Official Selection 2025". Cannes Film Festival. April 10, 2025. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  21. ""Sorry, Baby" wins SIFF 2025 Seattle Critics Award". Seattle Film Critics Society. May 25, 2025.
  22. Neglia, Matt (June 30, 2025). "The 2025 Hollywood Creative Alliance (HCA) Midseason Astra Award Nominations". Next Best Picture. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
  23. Blistein, Jon (August 6, 2025). "Most of the Winners of the 4th Annual Las Culturistas Culture Awards Are Here". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 6, 2025.
  24. "Hungarian-related films at this year's CineFest". CineFest . Retrieved September 1, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)