Eva Victor makes an arresting debut on this distinctive mix of comedy and drama, which tackles trauma with a heavy dose of humanity.
PLOT: A tutorial struggles to recuperate from a sexual assault dedicated in opposition to her by a person she revered and admired.
REVIEW: Sorry, Child walked away from Sundance with one of many buzziest offers of the fest. Whereas the $8 million shelled out for it didn’t set any data, it was extra who purchased it that made an impression, with it being nabbed by A24. Maybe the one studio with a cult following, its buy all however ensures Sorry, Child goes to attach with hip audiences in an enormous means. Certainly, it’s a film that may resonate deeply with many ladies, with it an empathetic however surprisingly hopeful and humorous account of the aftermath of a devastating rape.
It’s written and directed by Eva Victor, who simply would possibly turn out to be the subsequent indie darling primarily based on the power of her work right here. She performs Agnes, a post-grad scholar who lives a stimulating life as a college scholar alongside her ride-or-die BFF, Lydie (Naomi Ackie). Her life comes crumbling down when her much-admired school advisor, Decker (Louis Cancelmi), rapes her following a gathering at his residence, with him calculating sufficient that he’s in a position to escape any form of profession or authorized fallout. This sends Agnes right into a tailspin, with the film depicting the quick aftermath of the assault, in addition to her life a number of years later, when, satirically, she finds herself with the job (and workplace) as soon as held by her attacker.
Whereas this sounds horrifically grim materials, Sorry, Child is sort of a humorous movie. Victor’s Agnes faces all the things with humour—even the aftermath of her assault. To some extent, that is all only a masks placed on by Agnes, with Victor excellently depicting her at her most susceptible. Nevertheless, she additionally doesn’t wallow within the assault, with it by no means proven on-screen, whereas the movie acknowledges—sadly—that even after one thing horrible, life nonetheless should go on.
A part of the film’s eventual sense of optimism is that she fills the movie with episodes and interactions Agnes has that reaffirm the innate goodness of the individuals round her. She has a neighbour, Gavin (Lucas Hedges), who’s a genuinely type man with whom she begins a tentative relationship. Ackie’s Lydie stays a stalwart good friend, whilst her personal life goes on. One of many movie’s most compelling moments finds Agnes affected by a panic assault and being unexpectedly comforted by a gruff, profanity-spewing stranger (John Carroll Lynch) who treats her with a exceptional sense of empathy and kindness.
All this makes Sorry, Child extremely distinctive so far as movies about trauma go. Certainly, Agnes completely refuses to let her assault outline her. Nevertheless, Victor’s layered efficiency by no means shies away from how devastating the assault she skilled was and the way chilly, calculating, and merciless it was. It marks Victor as a robust new voice and appears all however sure to turn out to be a much-talked-about movie as soon as A24 releases it. It’s one thing that may ring a bell with many watching it and perhaps even give a few of them a level of consolation they weren’t anticipating.
