The “bad thing” that happens in Sorry, Baby takes place behind closed doors and closed curtains. We stand outside a house and watch as Agnes (Eva Victor) enters. She’s visiting her literature professor, Preston Decker (Louis Cancelmi), to talk over her thesis. We stay outside. Day slips into night. Lights turn on and off. Pedestrians wander by.
Then, Agnes re-emerges. She sits on the steps outside and puts her boots back on. She walks fast, but doesn’t run. She pulls at her jacket, gets in her car, and drives home. We’re given plenty of time to study her expression. Her eyes are glazed over – a clear sign of disassociation. Something’s trembling in there, too – a wave of aftershocks powerful enough to cause a bridge collapse. It’s a remarkable way to depict sexual assault and its aftermath, the life beyond the trauma that Victor – as star, writer, and director – furnishes with every light on the spectrum.
