As a fellow cat lover, I am happy to report that no cats are harmed in writer/director/actor Eva Victor’s poignant new film SORRY, BABY. I want that to be the first item featured in this article because during my interview with Eva, we joked about the fact that people may be concerned about the cat because it is featured on the poster. I admitted I, myself, had to ask a fellow critic if anything happens to the cat before I watched so I could properly prepare myself/be ready to press the fast forward button if it came to it. But SORRY, BABY is a celebration of cats… it’s also a brilliant character study that focuses on a traumatic moment of someone’s life with humor, confidence, and the sensitivity worthy of the subject. It’s hard to believe this is Victor’s first time writing and directing a feature because it is so well done. This film isn’t a sob story about a character’s trauma; instead it is a celebration of pulling yourself out of the darkness and finding your voice again.
The film takes a non-linear approach, where we first meet Agnes (Victor) in her role as a professor. She is excited to be hanging out with her best friend Lydie (Naomi Ackie), who is visiting from out of town. But during a dinner party gone wrong, it quickly becomes clear that all is not right in Agnes’s world. You see, Agnes is confronting the sexual abuse she endured while a student at the same college, three years earlier. She has tried to convince herself she’s okay, but it’s clear she’s not. She is stuck in the same place she was three years ago, both literally and emotionally, and it all is coming to a head.
I had the brilliant opportunity to sit down with Victor to speak about the film. They immediately make you feel comfortable and seen. I had such a great time talking to them about the intricacies of the filmmaking, their female-led team behind the scenes, and our shared love of cats. So much so, I could have spoken to them all day. I also made sure to tell them the title of the film, SORRY BABY, is my favorite quote from KILLING EVE. Check out my interview below and see SORRY, BABY in theaters!
So, I have to tell you… I loved the film. And I love that you have so many female filmmakers behind the camera. Was that important to you?
Victor: You know what? Not really. I mean, it was very important. But didn’t go in making any rules about it. But I think just as time went on, the people who ended up in specific roles had really beautiful things to say about the script in ways that just felt like this is the right person for the job. Like, Mia [Cioffi Henry] was on as the DP [director of photography] from two years before we started shooting. We did a practice shoot together, and she was really integral to the process of creating the film. And Caity [Birmingham] was a production designer, and I just think she had this really beautiful idea of Agnes’s house that felt really warm. I think just the right people found the right role. And, yeah, I think I remember looking around being like, oh shit. It’s a lot of women and I’m obsessed. And it’s cool that there was a lot of collaboration. People were so smart about the script and how to elevate it from what it was to be this completely new thing. And also having Adele [Romanski] and Cat [Rojter], who were the producers from Pastel, around every day was really, really important. Just feeling like I had support every day on set. So, yeah, a lot of women.
I love the best friend dynamic in the film. It felt really lived in and that you and Naomi had been best friends forever. Especially the scene where Agnes is at the dinner and she hears a triggering conversation… Naomi puts her hand on Agnes’s leg, knowing she was upset. How did y’all build that relationship?
Victor: You know, the miraculous thing was, the second I met her, I feel like we had a vibe that was just special. And then we kind of talked about the script, and I think we both felt like we understood why we were making it. But then beyond that, with her, it never felt like the right thing to do to go through the scenes. It was always just hanging out with her. That felt like the best thing to do to prepare. We did our hair and makeup test the same day in Boston, so we had some fun with that. And then we did some costume stuff, too. So we got some time in doing the work we had to do, but also kind of feeling each other out. But honestly, when we read together, when we were casting, it just was sort of immediate and effortless. And she’s an incredible actor. I think she could have chemistry with a wall. But, no, I felt so grateful that she wanted to do the film because she’s so good and she’s so good in the film. I think it’s a real gift to Agnes that Lydia loves her. It’s the gift of a lifetime. And I think that shows in the film. And I just had a good time with her. She’s just too fun to hang out with. And all the scenes that we did first in the shoot were the friendship ones. So we were giggling on the couch at the beginning and laying in the grass and walking around a field together. So we did spend some quality time shooting together, just us two, before we invited anyone else in, which was really special.
And I like that there was no serious conflict between them either. Their relationship is the heart of the movie. You could feel that support.
Victor: Yeah. I think the thing I always think about with Lydie is yes, she wants Agnes to feel safe, but also she has to go live her life. And the biggest gift she can give to both Agnes and herself is to go to New York. And she felt she falls in love there and she gets to have the baby she wants there. And I think Lydie being boundaried enough to know “I can’t stay stuck while you are stuck,” is something that I really admire about her character. And I think there is a little tension. There’s a moment. I think Agnes sometimes in these moments of trauma, you have to be selfish to survive. You just have to think about yourself and how to survive the day. And so there’s moments when Agnes is only thinking about herself and then tries to recalibrate a bit. But at one point Agnes says, “maybe I should have that guy’s baby too,” which is a bit insensitive. I think Lydie sighs, but it’s like she knows Agnes is a bit stuck; her mind is stuck in another time. And then I think there’s this moment at the end where Agnes tries to give Lydie even just a drop of what Lydie’s given her, which is, I’ll watch your baby for 20 minutes. But I think that means a lot to Lydie because this could be the start of Agnes being someone who’s more in the world and has a little bit more selflessness. So I think hopefully there’s a feeling that Lydie and Fran, Lydie’s partner, have discussed how Agnes isn’t totally right and that Fran has some protectiveness over Lydie. So there’s a few moments where I feel like there’s here’s some tension. There’s a little tension, but it’s never to the point of lacking love. It’s all love, family, energy.
Absolutely. That definitely shines through. And I really loved how you filmed the [sexual assault] scene where you never really see what happens to Agnes. The moment that really struck me was when she’s driving home and you just sit in the car with her for I don’t know how long it is. I should have timed it maybe like two or three minutes.
Victor: It’s like a minute and a half, but it feels really long.
It feels uncomfortable and it’s supposed to feel uncomfortable. In the editing room, did you shoot longer than that? How did you calibrate what the right feeling was for that scene?
Victor: Yes! You know there was a way we shot it that was like a five minute shot. It’s in the edit. You really learn that cutting can be a really powerful tool. So basically what happens is she gets into the car, you hear an engine, and then she’s driving. And then that lasts a really long time. But each shot is quite a bit of time. We’re on the door and then she leaves it. And then we’re behind her, following her to the car, and then we’re in the car. And each of those shots is quick, quite long. But the car, I mean… we played with time a lot in the edit there of how long do we want to be on each door. It was a lot about instinct. Like, oh, it does feel really slow, but we also need to be really deliberate about when we’re moving. And I think it was a real decision to stay wide as she leaves the house and then be behind her. We don’t see her face until we’re in the bathtub. So it’s behind her head walking; we’re in the car, her face is mostly obscured. And then there’s one moment where headlights behind her reveal her eyes. And then we cut away or it’s a wide through the window of her telling Lydie that her pants are broken. And then we’re in the bathtub and it’s this lit close up of her face.
And so, so much about that, that post house journey home, was about restraint and almost trying to mirror Agnes processing and us not having access to that in the way that Agnes doesn’t know what happened. And she’s sort of just in survival mode trying to make it home. But I wanted to stay in the car as long as we could because I didn’t want relief and I kind of wanted to feel as close to real time of this private, really quiet still moment where this person doesn’t know what happened to them. We kind of know a little bit. We imagine, but just getting moments of this person trying to make sense of what happened and not having the tools until Lydie comes in and is able to repeat back to her.
Wow, now I’m going to watch those scenes again in a different way. I love talking to filmmakers because just you pointing out that you don’t really see Agnes’s face until the bathroom is so powerful. Last question from me. Directors always say don’t work with babies or animals. And you worked with both. So can you talk about what it was to work with the cat? And I will emphasize that nothing happens to the cat in the movie.
Victor: Yes, nothing happens to the cat. The cat is happy the whole time. No, it was really interesting. Both of them, babies and cats, limit your ability to shoot things, but also they bring a real spontaneity and it really somehow forces you to be really present because this thing has no self consciousness or ability to know where the camera is. So you are just at its mercy, honestly. I’m holding this baby and his dad is off to the side and I’m like this is a legit baby and I’m trying to talk to it. And that is difficult. So I’m going to react to the difficulty of that in the way that a person would so there is something really special about having something so delicate and who does not care that you’re making a movie at all. They were the two non-negotiables in the film. The cat and the baby are part of the film.
The cat is based off of my cat who is named Clyde. He has been with me for eight years and I love him so much. And he could not be in the movie because he’s a diva. He’s shy, but he is my whole life and I love him so much.
Eva it was so wonderful talking to you about the film and about cats. I can’t wait for everyone to see your amazing, powerful film!
