Debate x NZIFF #5: Sorry, Baby

DEBATE X NZIFF | REVIEW | WEB EXCLUSIVE

Written by Edie Lane (she/her) | @edienlane | Contributing Writer

Content warning: Sexual Assault

A24’s new film Sorry, Baby follows a young literature professor named Agnes, who is dealing with the fallout of a sexual assault that she experienced in her graduate programme. The story is told in a non-chronological narrative with each year being broken into its own short chapter, not dissimilar to the short stories Agnes wrote her thesis on. 

This is Eva Victor’s directorial debut, and it’s deserving of all the praise it has been receiving since its premier at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. My experience watching it at the beautiful Civic was one filled with hope, laughter and heartache. The ability to control the tonal shifts throughout the movie is admirable.  One minute the theatre would be filled with levity and laughter, the next you could feel the person next to you stop breathing. It switched so effortlessly between the two tones that not once did I feel it was conflicting. Only after the movie did I realize just how much Victor had achieved.

It is funny without trivialising the subject matter or the characters, even Natasha who is a bizarre, ridiculous character who could very easily turn into a caricature of reality. Instead, the movie reminds you of the exact moment you too, have met (or maybe even been) a Natasha. 

The highlight of the movie for me was the central relationship between the two best friends Agnes and Lydie. So rarely is friendship in the limelight, so seeing the deep trust and love that exists between their bond was heartwarming and relatable. These relationships are often relegated to the sidelines, instead being replaced with depictions of romantic love. I like that it also acknowledges the difficulties of growth and changing priorities, will force you to move apart. I hesitate to say grow apart, as the movie suggests this person may remain a deeply treasured and trusted person in your life.