The creator of a new movie about the aftermath of sexual assault says comparisons with stars including Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Michaela Coel are flattering, but “aren’t ultimately helpful”.
Eva Victor, who rose to fame after creating viral comedy videos on X, wrote and directed their debut feature – Sorry, Baby – as well as playing the lead role.
They were encouraged to both write and then direct the movie by Oscar-winning filmmaker Barry Jenkins, after he saw Victor’s videos online.
The film was warmly received at Sundance and Cannes, and its creator was hailed a “superstar”. But along with such accolades come inevitable comparisons.
Victor told Sky News: “The thing that that moved us so much about [Fleabag star Phoebe Waller-Bridge] and about Michaela Coel and about Greta Gerwig and those people is that it’s just a true voice.”
They admit “that part of the comparison means everything”, but go on: “I’m non-binary, so I use ‘they’ and ‘she’ pronouns and I think it’s interesting that we feel pretty binary about comparisons.
“People are pretty interested in putting me in a category of women. I mean, Denzel Washington directed himself. Albert Brooks directed himself. Jodie Foster directed after acting.
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“It’s an interesting conversation, and I think maybe comparisons aren’t ultimately so helpful. But also, I’m very honoured because they’re people I desperately look up to. Overall, it’s a very, very fine comparison.“
‘The bad thing’ at the heart of the movie
A triple threat, Victor studied acting and playwriting at Northwestern University, Illinois, before moving to New York in 2016 where they worked on the feminist satirical website Reductress. They later landed a role in Showtime drama series Billions.
A black comedy, Sorry, Baby tells the story of Agnes, a twenty-something New England literature student – and later academic – who is sexually assaulted by her college tutor.
Dubbed “the bad thing” in the movie, the assault – which occurs off camera – is a catalyst for the movie’s storyline but never becomes its focus.
Victor has called the writing of the project, “my soul on the page” – without speaking directly about whether any real-life experience inspired it – telling Sky News: “The process you go through privately, you’re exercising something very soul-forward. It’s very exposing.”
The impact of sexual assault around the world is something Victor calls “a big, big societal tragedy”. One in four women in England and Wales experiences sexual assault in their lifetime, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Victor says: “The reason I made the film was to try to make a film about an attempt at healing and much less about a kind of violence.”
They explain: “As someone who wanted to explore the intimate feelings of recovery from something like this, the only way through for me was to really think about Agnes and what is truthful to her story.”
‘Less about violence, and more about love’
Several instances in the film show the system failing to effectively deal with or even fully acknowledge the abuse – first a hospital, then a university – and those scenes are handled with a lightness of touch not always applied to trauma-based stories.
Victor says: “Humour in those scenes is used as a way for punching up people in power. And these institutions that create a really difficult, painful time for people.”
In the current climate, as convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein faces his third trial, and music star P Diddy awaits sentencing – where does Victor think the MeToo movement stands now?
Despite the movie’s themes, Victor is reticent to become a mouthpiece for the movement.
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Measuring their words carefully, Victor offers a note of optimism in their answer – much like the message of the movie – looking to the future with hope, albeit in an imperfect world.
“I think there’s rehabilitation that is necessary for everyone, and I’m less interested in violence and punishment and much more interested in finding love and trying to hold each other.”
Sorry, Baby is in UK cinemas now.
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email [email protected] in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.
