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Actors

Sorry, Baby: A Groundbreaking Portrayal of Healing and Trauma

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

In the quiet of wintry Maine, actor and comedian Eva Victor found solace in confronting a personal trauma, one that would become the central theme of their directorial debut, Sorry, Baby. This poignant portrait of healing, produced by Barry Jenkins, quietly upends the prevailing script on sexual violence in the long wake of #MeToo. Victor's film presents trauma as an idiosyncratic, fickle, and mutable thing, rather than a blunt, annihilating force. The film follows Agnes, a twentysomething English academic, as she navigates the aftermath of a violent assault, processing her trauma in non-linear and inconsistent ways.

Key Takeaways:

  • Sorry, Baby presents trauma as an idiosyncratic, fickle, and mutable thing, rather than a blunt, annihilating force.
  • The film follows Agnes, a twentysomething English academic, as she navigates the aftermath of a violent assault.
  • Agnes's processing of trauma is depicted as non-linear and inconsistent, reflecting real-life experiences.
  • The friendship between Agnes and her best friend, Lydie, provides a canvas for comedy and highlights the complexities of trauma.
  • Virgin's actor, Eva Victor, drew from interiority in Kelly Reichardt's Certain Woman and the understatement in Andrew Haigh's 45 Years.
  • Victor also watched Michaela Coel's "completely transcendent" BBC-HBO series I May Destroy You, which treats trauma as a thread, rather than the whole cloth.
  • Director Barry Jenkins encouraged Victor to direct the film, which was produced by Adele Romanski and Mark Ceryak.
  • The film's smallness and bracing honesty feel of the moment, reflecting the collective momentum of the #MeToo movement's dissipation.

Statistics:

  • The film, Sorry Baby, was released in the US in June.
  • The film was accliamed for its welcome reimagining of the "trauma plot."
  • 25% of women in the US experience rape or sexual assault in their lifetime.
  • In the US, support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from organizations such as Rainn (800-656-4673).
  • In the UK, support is available from organizations such as Rape Crisis (0808 500 2222).

Sources:

  • *Sorry, Baby*
  • "I May Destroy You" (BBC-HBO series)
  • "I Saw the TV Glow" (film)
  • "Reductress" (feminist satirical website)
  • Northwestern University
  • Twitter
  • Showtime (Billions)
  • Sundance
  • Cannes

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