--- title: "Sorry, Baby: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/sorry-baby/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/sorry-baby" critics_score: 80 critics_reviews: 25 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Sorry, Baby (2025): what the critics said Critics' score 80 from 25 reviews: 21 positive, 3 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics take to Eva Victor’s debut, and the praise gathers in one place: the way it sets dry humour beside a sexual assault and its aftermath without letting either undo the other. Victor’s performance as Agnes, deadpan and closely observed, comes up in nearly every review, as does writing that lets her be a whole person rather than a case study. The friendship with Lydie, played by Naomi Ackie, is singled out again and again as the film’s emotional centre, and several reviews admire the non-chronological structure for making the recovery feel lived rather than plotted. The reservations are mild and few. The Hollywood Reporter finds it occasionally too easygoing and visually cautious; The Skinny thinks it never quite realises its potential. The one clear dissent is Vulture, which finds the film evasive where it means to be insightful, though even there Ackie’s performance is praised. The spread is narrow, with twenty-one positive verdicts against a single negative one. ## Time Out — Hanna Flint Rating 5/5. 9 August 2025. The review calls Eva Victor’s debut breathtaking and says she has nothing to be sorry for. It singles out the film’s emotional insight and warmth. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/sorry-baby-review-2025) ## Evening Standard — Olivia Petter Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 4 September 2025. Petter warmly praises the film as an exceptionally truthful depiction of sexual trauma and healing. She singles out the supportive friendship between Agnes and Lydie as central to its emotional power. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/sorry-baby-movie-sexual-trauma-eva-victor-b1245833.html) ## IndieWire — Kate Erbland Rating A-. 27 January 2025. Festival review. The critic calls the film a darkly funny, tender, and major debut. She especially praises Victor’s finely tuned performance and the film’s empathetic balance of humor with painful subject matter. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/sorry-baby-review-eva-victor-1235086848/) ## Los Angeles Times — Katie Walsh Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 27 June 2025. Walsh finds Victor’s debut a sensitive, nuanced triumph that lingers. She particularly praises Victor’s detailed honesty in portraying trauma and female friendship. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2025-06-27/sorry-baby-review-eva-victor-naomi-ackie-lucas-hedges) ## Slant Magazine — Ross McIndoe Rating 3.5/4. 3 February 2025. Festival review. McIndoe finds the film sharply funny without diminishing the devastation of Agnes’s experience. He praises the performances and subtle writing for conveying her dissociation, while highlighting the absurd, unresponsive bureaucracy she faces. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/sorry-baby-review-eva-victor/) ## Empire — Miriam Balanescu Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 18 August 2025. The review calls the film a fresh, thoughtful and tenderly funny reinvention of the trauma plot. It praises Victor’s deft balance of light and dark, especially the perceptive scene where Agnes discusses trauma over a sandwich. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/sorry-baby/) ## The New Yorker — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 20 June 2025. Chang finds the film quietly heroic and original, praising its humane, non-linear portrayal of pain and healing. He singles out its unexpected humor as a particularly effective way to resist defining Agnes by her trauma. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/06/30/f1-movie-review-sorry-baby) ## The AV Club — Jacob Oller Rating B+. 23 June 2025. Oller praises the film as a funny, affecting, and formally assured account of trauma and recovery. He singles out Eva Victor’s performance and the nonlinear structure for making the story feel vivid and lived-in. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/sorry-baby-review) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Rating Critic's Pick. 28 January 2025. Festival review. Debruge finds Victor’s debut warm, compassionate, and quietly affecting in its portrayal of rebuilding after trauma. He especially praises its elliptical storytelling and lived-in everyday details for creating a subtle, lasting impact. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2025/film/reviews/sorry-baby-review-sundance-eva-victor-1236286028/) ## Little White Lies — Hannah Strong Rating 3/4/4. 19 August 2025. Strong finds the film tender and reassuring in its portrayal of life after assault. She praises its small moments of kindness and the friendship between Agnes and Lydie. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/sorry-baby) ## Sight and Sound Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 24 June 2025. Festival review. The review finds Victor’s debut assured, tender and defiantly funny, with a wry tone that makes its treatment of trauma feel distinctive. It particularly praises Victor’s deadpan performance and the daring one-take shot following Agnes after the assault. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/sorry-baby-eva-victors-tender-debut-wears-its-jokes-like-armour) ## The Guardian — Adrian Horton Rating B. 29 January 2025. Festival review. Horton praises the film as a funny, humane account of life after sexual assault. She particularly singles out Victor’s naturalistic portrayal of the aftermath and the intimacy between the two friends. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jan/29/sorry-baby-movie-review-sundance) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Jon Frosch Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 28 January 2025. Festival review. Frosch finds the debut frank, funny, and tender, though occasionally too easygoing and visually cautious. He especially praises Eva Victor’s performance and the warm, convincing chemistry between Victor and Naomi Ackie. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/sorry-baby-review-eva-victor-naomi-ackie-lucas-hedges-1236118828/) ## Screen Daily — Tim Grierson Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 28 January 2025. Festival review. The standfirst presents the film as an insightful drama debut. The accessible text does not identify a specific element the critic singles out for praise or complaint. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/sorry-baby-sundance-review/5201208.article) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). Festival review. The page appears to be a festival review, but its verdict is unavailable. No specific praise or complaint can be verified from the blocked page. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/festivals/sundance-2025-train-dreams-sorry-baby) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 26 June 2025. The page is inaccessible, so the critic’s verdict cannot be determined. No specific praise or complaint is available from the supplied text. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/26/movies/sorry-baby-review-eva-victor.html) ## Vulture — Alison Willmore Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 27 June 2025. Willmore finds the film promising in its treatment of language but more often exasperating for substituting evasiveness for insight. She praises Naomi Ackie’s performance as Agnes’s effervescent, supportive friend. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-eva-victors-sorry-baby-is-promising-exasperating.html) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 28 January 2025. Festival review. Hammond gives the film a strongly enthusiastic verdict, calling it an assured and heartfelt debut. He particularly praises Eva Victor’s layered performance and her deft balance of dry humor with the story’s trauma. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2025/01/sorry-baby-review-eva-victors-poignant-dramedy-sundance-1236270020/) ## HeyUGuys Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). Festival review. The critic calls the film an unforgettable, exceptionally accomplished Sundance debut. They especially praise Eva Victor’s pitch-perfect balance of humor and drama, supported by its non-chronological structure and strong performances. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/sorry-baby-review/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 29 January 2025. Festival review. The critic calls the film a moving, cathartic debut that balances painful truths with humor. They especially praise Victor’s restrained, compassionate writing and performance in portraying Agnes’s trauma. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/sorry-baby-eva-victor-movie-review/) ## Paste — Andy Crump Rating 8.7/10. 24 June 2025. Crump calls the film a thoughtful, sobering work that remains a joy. He praises its deft blend of sardonic humor and melancholy, which lets Agnes be a whole person beyond her trauma. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/sorry-baby/sorry-baby-review-eva-victor-grief-comedy-themes-melancholy-naomi-ackie) ## Collider — Ross Bonaime Rating 8/10. 4 February 2025. Festival review. Bonaime calls the film a fantastic debut and Victor an exciting new filmmaking voice. He praises Victor’s deft, often humorous handling of trauma and the tender friendships that support Agnes. [Read the review](https://collider.com/sorry-baby-review/) ## Eye for Film — Jeremy Mathews Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 23 May 2025. Festival review. Mathews finds the film a moving, ultimately celebratory portrait of resilience. He praises Victor’s quiet, thoughtful storytelling and its focus on Agnes’s life beyond her trauma. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/sorry-baby-2025-film-review-by-jeremy-mathews) ## The Skinny — Carmen Paddock Rating ★★★★. 14 August 2025. Paddock finds the film poignant and well worth seeing, though it never quite realizes its potential. She especially praises the honest performances and the rigorous, non-exploitative treatment of sexual assault and its aftermath. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/sorry-baby) ## The Playlist Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 29 January 2025. Festival review. The page is blocked, so the critic’s verdict cannot be determined. The URL identifies it as a Sundance review focused on Eva Victor’s perspective on sexual assault. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/sorry-baby-review-eva-victor-confronts-sexual-assault-from-a-different-perspective-sundance-20250129/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/sorry-baby.md