Eva Victor: "Sorry, Baby"

 One of many themes in Eva Victor's sensational debut, "Sorry, Baby," is family. Found family.

Victor plays Agnes, who is unsure about her gender. During jury selection, she is asked to specify "male" or "female." She bubbles in "female," but then she adds a third circle, somewhere in the middle of the white space. She bubbles in that additional circle, then she draws a puzzling arrow from one circle to another. It's a work of art.

Agnes feels a platonic love for her friend Lydie; the two sometimes share a bed. But Lydie, who is actually gay, stumbles into a marriage and gets pregnant. The news is complicated for Agnes, who finds herself whispering to the fetus. "I am your *real* mommy." Agnes also worries that the inevitable baby will devour all of Lydie's time.

We have to wonder what kind of aunt Agnes will be--and it turns out that she is the best kind of aunt. Agnes has lived through a shocking episode of trauma--and, for a long while, it's unclear if she will "convert" her pain into something like compassion. We see the birth of compassion in the final scene. Holding Lydie's baby, Agnes says, "Bad things are going to happen to you, and it really angers me that this is the truth. I feel for you. If a bad thing is on the horizon, and I can do anything to stop it, please call me. I will stop it. But if the bad thing does happen, know that any thought you have afterward is fair game for me. You can share anything. Any dark thought that crosses your mind--trust me. I've thought worse. And I'll listen. I won't judge you."

When I saw this movie, the screening room was more than half-full. For two hours, you could hear a pin drop. I really felt for Agnes. Beyond the elegance of this script, you have the sense that you're discovering an artist right before takeoff. If all goes well, Eva Victor will have a long career; it's crazy that Victor is already so incisive.