“The Real World Doesn't Wait for Grief”: Sorry, Baby's Trailer Is a Punch in the Gut — and That's the Point
There's a moment in the new trailer for Sorry, Baby where a woman says, “We know what you're going through, we are women.” And the main character—Agnes, played with quiet ferocity by Eva Victor—replies flatly, “What…?” That pause? That hesitation? That's the whole movie.
In two seconds, it tells us this isn't your usual empowerment saga. This is not a revenge fantasy. Not a redemption arc. It's something more uncomfortable—and more necessary.
The A24 Formula, Broken and Rebuilt
A24 has a reputation: moody lighting, slow burns, haunting scores. You can practically smell the candle wax in their trailers. But Sorry, Baby doesn't wear its indie cred like armor. Instead, it disarms you.
Victor's debut shreds the idea of “overcoming trauma” as a neat cinematic arc. The trailer gives us glimpses: Agnes before and after, laughing, drowning, numbing out, reaching for connection. But instead of telling us what happened, the trailer dares us to sit in the not-knowing. It's nonlinear. Fragmented. Confused. Like Agnes herself.
In a film world obsessed with tidy emotional payoffs, Sorry, Baby pulls the rug—and then stares you down while you're on the floor.
Poster as Paradox
Let's talk about that poster. Agnes is cradling a kitten, face lit by washed-out sunlight. Clouds loom large behind her. Sweet, right? Until you notice the expression—almost a grimace, not quite peace. The kitten is a metaphor, sure, but the cloud cover is more telling. This is not a feel-good film. It's a feel-it-anyway film.
Context: The Post-#MeToo Wave's Quiet Evolution
We've seen the rage-powered films—Promising Young Woman, The Assistant, She Said. But Sorry, Baby arrives like the quiet aftermath. It's not about calling out the system. It's about crawling out of bed. Surviving in a world that doesn't stop for your pain. This matters—because it expands the cinematic language of survival.
And unlike some earlier films that center male complicity or big institutional villains, Victor turns the lens entirely inward. The system isn't the only antagonist. Sometimes, it's time. Sometimes, it's people who mean well. Sometimes, it's your own mind.
“This Will Absolutely Floor You”
That quote from Brian Tallerico (RogerEbert.com) isn't hyperbole. At Sundance, Sorry, Baby floored critics—winning Best Screenplay and scoring 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. It's not just good. It's necessary.
Produced by Barry Jenkins and Adele Romanski (Moonlight), the film carries pedigree but wears it lightly. The trailer suggests something intimate, handmade—like Greta Gerwig by way of Lynne Ramsay.
Final Thought: This Film Doesn't Ask Permission to Be Sad
In a summer stuffed with sequels and safe bets, Sorry, Baby is the small, strange voice saying: “I'm not okay. And that's okay.”
It premieres in theaters June 27, and if the trailer is any indication, it'll be the emotional gut-check of the year.
