Sorry, Baby - Sundance 2025
Film
It's hard to fathom what goes into a directorial feature film debut, let alone one that is sensational. In 2023, Celine Song blew me away with her debut film Past Lives, an intimate and touching romance about childhood friends that reunite later in life, and I can't possibly forget blinking the tears away after my first viewing. Song's honest and exceedingly mature take on the complexities of real life relationships was a breath of fresh air, devoid of Hollywood tropes or cliches, but was at the same time an easily digestible film. Then in 2024 my heart (and brain) was blown to pieces by Ramell Ross' transcendent adaptation of Colson Whitehead's novel, Nickel Boys, yet another narrative feature debut that far exceeded the expectations of being "a first time." Ross' experimental POV camera design gives the characters of Nickel Boys and the audience the same perspective, blurring the lines between subject and audience, while his adapted screenplay soars in its adherence to the source material and also its transformation for the screen. I could keep raving about past feature directorial debuts that were sensational, 2022's Aftersun from Charlotte Wells, 2021's The Lost Daughter from Maggie Gylenhaal, and so many more, but I think we should look forward to the new stellar debut from Eva Victor in Sorry, Baby.
Not only is Sorry, Baby Victor's directorial debut, but her writing and starring debut as well. Culminating in a trifecta of how can this possibly be this damn good. Sorry, Baby follows a non-linear structure of Agnes' (Victor) life that spans an uncertain number of years from her time as a graduate student in college to her professional career as a teacher at the same university. Scattered between are the little slices of life that define Agnes, ranging from good, to bad, to unfathomably terrible. But if any of this sounds too depressing, it should be a point of emphasis that Victor's writing, and roots as a comedian, is outstanding in its hilariously honest portrayal of Agnes and her inner circle. From the first moment that Agnes and Lydie (Naomi Ackie) share a silly, heartfelt moment on their couch you're completely enamored with not only their friendship, but the charismatic lead in Victor's character. Creating emotional attachment to characters is no easy feat—even for veteran filmmakers. That Victor not only directs and writes but also stars as one of the most affable characters on screen is simply astonishing. Not only are we watching a superstar filmmaker in the making, but a christening of a movie star in every facet.
While some films leave a trail of breadcrumbs with a non-linear layout, like in films such as We Live In Time and The Outrun as recent examples that utilized qualities of the protagonists hair to pinpoint where in time the story is, Sorry, Baby has labels that come across the screen for individual years. But even these aren't gimmicky monikers for moments in Agnes' life and instead are relatively light-hearted descriptors foreshadowing what is to come. Names like "The year with the baby" or "The year with the really good sandwich" don't fully give away what is to come, or what has come, but instead inject Victor's tremendous comedic personality into a film that has some exceedingly difficult emotional moments. These lows for Agnes are not only terrifically acted by Victor, but are well written and directed. There's no need to look further than a couple of long exposure shots and up-close examinations of Agnes that slowly crinkled my stomach up into my heart, and began a tumultuous emotional experience that I attribute to downright incredible filmmaking.
Of course, the emotional tumult is only one aspect of Sorry, Baby and Victor achieves a tonal balance of drama and comedy that is so finely tuned I'd almost think it couldn't possibly be a debut film. Not to mention Victor's chemistry on screen with Ackie, a wonderfully hilarious Lucas Hedges, a delightful John Carroll Lynch, and a stupefying nemesis in Kelly McCormack is phenomenal.
We often look to the next project after a debut, telling ourselves "I can't wait for Celine Song's follow up to Past Lives," which almost feels like we're not giving ourselves enough time to fully appreciate what's in front of us. Well I'll be the first to say I, personally, can wait for Victor's follow up to Sorry, Baby, because this film, and Victor's expert construction of it in her writing, direction and acting, should be studied for years to come. I’m confident Sorry, Baby will be one of this year’s best films, earning its place alongside Past Lives, Nickel Boys, and other remarkable debuts.
Froth
Whe I arrived at Kiitos Brewing in Salt Lake City, I asked the brewtender a question that probably put me the category of "annoying customer." I simply said, "If this is the only time I'm going to visit Kiitos in my life, what would you recommend I drink?" The answer was not only inspired, but the best beer I had in Utah for Sundance and possibly the best beer I've had in a year. The Fonio Ale is brewed with its namesake grain, an ancient West African grain only has two breweries in the world making a 100% Fonio based beer. Kiitos Brewing in Salt Lake City and Carlsberg Brewing in Copenhagen.
That's it, that's the list.
Kiitos' Fonio Ale is an astonishing translucent clear white color that at first might be a perplexing sight, but upon further inspection, who cares what it looks like. Bursting with passionfruit and lychee flavors and without any bitterness due to little or no hops being used, this ale is a completely unique experience and taste. It's smooth, refreshing, and not overwhelming in its sweetness as it possesses a touch of saltiness that balances it out, akin to bitterness and citrus flavors of say an IPA. Overall it resembles a drinking experience like a seltzer but with less carbonation, and way better flavor.
