[JOURNAL-ENTRY-026]
terminal\user\jem\journal
I don't have a full entry in me. Rather, another Letterboxd review continued from a few paragraphs written at 3am.
Sorry, Baby (2025)
I respect the reverence for the subject matter this film tackles, because it’s honed in on so well with a precise eye for subtlety where it matters, while also remaining as a fully coloured portrait of a lived-in experience.
There is an admirable degree of nuance in the situations that take place in this film. Less so in a couple of given cliches, but more so in the lingering of the day-to-day in the wake of a tragedy. Fairly innocuous phrases or belongings have new and uncomfortable meanings. Suddenly, your whole world stops, buffering briefly before resuming playback with everyone else. Someone uses that word to describe you, other times you second-guess a creak down the hall or a guy who looks familiar from behind. Moments like this are pulled off masterfully in the film. Often, they occur in a glance, with no ample room to process, as the film moves on and seemingly everyone does.
Victor nails how one 'bad thing' just silently breaks a life, totally invisible and denied any catharsis.
It’s these little flourishes re-contextualising the mundane that make this directorial debut shine. Other versions of this story would opt for archetypal structures and characterisations that go for the big dramatic moments, which I don’t always mind and granted, I don't believe this film is perfect, but I love that this director can meet similar goals on her own terms and her own voice. There’s a level of restraint I found so engrossing to watch as neatly spaced chapters unfurl on a small scale.
It’s also a relief to see self-deprecating humour that doesn’t undercut emotional scenes, and although it never always clicked for me, it is always rooted in an underlying vulnerability that makes some of those flaws forgivable. There are a handful of moments where I don’t find some friendly banter believable, which I think can be chalked up to the writing in some spots. Nonetheless, the acting across the board never dips below being serviceable (on the contrary, there are some brief, highly memorable performances).
The way slivers of information come to light through performance, editing, sound design, and a handful of simple-but-effective compositions speaks to a vision so strong and personal that I can tell they come from a mind that’s been waiting a long time to bring them to life. I’ll always champion that sort of thing whenever I see it. The score is also charming and I love rural New England as a location — some truly gorgeous and evocative autumn photography going on!