A worthy film to open EIFF, Eva Victor‘s deft, darkly funny debut Sorry, Baby deals with potentially harrowing subject matter in a way that refuses to wallow in trauma, yet treats its themes with the seriousness and weight they deserve.

Agnes (Victor) has been made a full-time professor at the university at which she studied. However, she also suffered a traumatic incident, the ‘Bad Thing’ at the hands of a former faculty member at that institution (Louis Cancelmi). Agnes has been getting by on autopilot, but the arrival of her best friend Lydie (Naomi Ackie) who has exciting news that makes Agnes reevaluate her life and what matters most to her.

With a non-linear structure Sorry, Baby constantly recontextualises earlier scenes and relationships between its characters, particularly that between Agnes and Lydie. Ackie shows why her star continues to ascend as the empathetic, supportive foil to Agnes. Victor is a revelation. Their performance is perfectly calibrated. Agnes is dry and brittle, yet not so walled off that she can’t admit she needs tenderness and affection, whether it’s from the goofy neighbour (Lucas Hedges) or a sympathetic acquaintance (John Carroll Lynch). She even has an enjoyably spiky antagonism with a scene-stealing Kelly McCormack as a jealous colleague.

The ‘Bad Thing’ is not depicted onscreen, instead inferred by jump cuts of darkening skies outside Professor Decker’s (Cancelmi) apartment. The details spill from the previously stricken Agnes’ lips to as she processes it in real time to an appalled Lydie; a far more effective way then any graphic depiction of assault. It’s an incredibly powerful scene, incredibly directed and acted. Agnes is in the bath while Lydie is silent as her friend confides in her. It heightens Agnes’ vulnerability and Lydie’s empathy, and demonstrates the depth of their bond.

It’s a bold choice to inject so much offbeat charm and unusual character beats into a narrative dealing with traumatic subject matter, yet it’s an unequivocal success. What Sorry, Baby demonstrates is that no-one is entirely defined by what happens to them. Agnes is still a smart woman with a deadpan sense of humour that is evident before and after the ‘Bad Thing’. She’s strong but requires some help to heal, and it’s no weakness to depict that necessity.

Sorry, Baby is a really exceptional film from a phenomenal talent. Eva Victor’s fleet-footed script focuses on healing not suffering, and in the relationship between Agnes and Lydie, one of the most genuine and heartwarming depictions of a friendship within recent memory. It hints at multitudes – perhaps past connections or desires left unfulfilled – yet allows various interpretations. It’s a highlight of a special debut.

Screened as part of Edinburgh International Film Festival