About a year after starting principal photography on the North Shore for their debut feature film, Eva Victor screened “Sorry, Baby” to a sold-out audience Wednesday at the Coolidge Corner Theater in Brookline as the closing film for the 23rd annual Independent Film Festival Boston.
Victor, who uses she/they pronouns, wrote, directed and starred in the black comedy film that saw its debut earlier this year at Sundance Film Festival. It was met with widespread acclaim and earned them the screenwriting award at the prestigious festival.
From there, the renowned production and distribution company A24, which has helped create or distribute such Oscar-winning films as “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once” and “Moonlight,” swooped in to get the distribution rights to “Sorry, Baby.”
Victor — also known for their appearances in “Billions” and “Super Pumped” — held a Q&A after the screening Wednesday.
They noted the film came out of the pandemic, where they had been feeling depressed and really dove into watching cinema. After feeling inspired to create, they rented a cabin in Maine and dove into crafting their first feature film with the idea that it would never see the light of day.
After receiving encouragement from friends and family, they set out to make the film for real. From there, it attracted Hollywood attention, including Barry Jenkins, the director of “Moonlight,” who signed on as a producer.
Eva Victor screened “Sorry, Baby” to a sold-out audience Wednesday, April 30, 2025 at the Coolidge Corner Theater in Brookline.(Photo by Aaryn Souza/MassLive)
The film follows the story of Victor’s character, Agnes, as she tries to overcome an incident at her college that left her devastated over the course of a few years with the help of her best friend Lydie, played by Naomi Ackie (“Mickey 17,” “Blink Twice”).
Victor filmed in Ipswich last March. They knew the small-town feel and the vibrant colors would match what they were looking for.
“I love the colors … it could lean romantic and it could also lean horrific” they said at the Q&A. “… this romantic college town that feels isolated and also special and this really insular community and the kind of place that you could get stuck there but it could also sometimes feel like a nest you made. I think it was able to shapeshift in the way I needed it to.”
Victor said they initially got the inspiration for the area from watching the 2016 film “Manchester by the Sea,” which also took place in the area and was a film that won multiple Academy Awards itself.
“We where looking at different places when I saw that film and I was like this is meant to have this age like it’s supposed to feel old,” they said. “It just felt right.”
In addition to filming on the North Shore, Victor was determined to cast the film and use crew from the Boston area. During one portion of the Q&A, Victor gave recognition to the local cast and crew for their work on the film.
“There’s so much talent here” they noted. “I don’t think I’ve had as much joy as going through tapes of actors in Boston reading my words. It was amazing.”
“Sorry, Baby” is set to screen at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival as the closing film of the Director’s Fortnight section. The film will release in theaters on June 27.
