Sorry, Baby

Sorry, Baby

Posted on June 13, 2025 at 5:33 pm

A-
Lowest Recommended Age: Mature High Schooler
MPAA Rating: Rated R for sexual content and language
Profanity: Very strong, explicit, and crude language
Alcohol/ Drugs: Alcohol
Violence/ Scariness: Sexual abuse
Diversity Issues: Diverse characters
Date Released to Theaters: June 13, 2025
Copyright 2025 A24

Eva Victor makes an extraordinary debut as writer, director, and star of indie festival favorite “Sorry, Baby,” a story that includes profound trauma told with delicacy and even humor. Victor plays Agnes, a young college professor of literature when we first see her, a grad student in flashbacks that over the course of the film reveal an abusive encounter with her thesis advisor.

But the movie wisely begins with what will be the primary theme of the film, not the trauma but the grace that helps her go on.

Lydie (Naomi Ackie) arrives for a visit. She was Agnes’ housemate in college and they are still the closest of friends, the kind whose conversations skim along effortlessly and joyously, un-anchored by having to explain their references or hide their secrets. Their affection, devotion, and unconditional support are palpable.

Later in the film, a character played by the always-great John Carroll Lynch turns out to be an unexpected source of understanding and comfort when Agnes has a panic attack. It is a highlight of the film and one of the best moments we will see on screen this year.

The movie is told non-sequentially, with chapter headings, allowing us to get to know Agnes and get a hint of the reason for her vulnerability before we learn the details. Later we find out what happened and see the immediate aftermath, with responses adding insult to injury from a brusque doctor and from the school’s administrators. The structure is more mosaic than linear, with off-center revelations that allow us to think and feel through the aftermath.

We also get to know Agnes, who as written and portrayed by Victor is endearingly direct, even blunt at times, and yet keeping a lot inside. There comes a tipping point when we recognize the pain of dealing with the trauma is less than the pain of not dealing with it. And we see those moments reflected through Agnes’ interactions with her neighbor (the always-welcome Lucas Hedges), a stray cat, her students and supervisor, the Lynch character, and someone who appears for the first time in a stunning final scene.

Parents should know that this movie includes off-screen sexual abuse and the post-traumatic emotional struggles. There are explicit sexual references and characters use very strong language.

Family discussion: What do we learn from the scene with Agnes in the classroom? Why is Lolita the book discussed by the class? Why are there chapter titles?

If you like this, try: “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” and “The Spectacular Now”

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Suze

Suze

Posted on February 6, 2025 at 12:53 pm

B +
Lowest Recommended Age: High School
MPAA Rating: Not rated
Profanity: Strong language
Alcohol/ Drugs: Teen drinking, drugs
Violence/ Scariness: Attempted suicide
Diversity Issues: None
Date Released to Theaters: February 7, 2025
Copyright Tribeca Films 2024

Michaela Watkins does not get a chance to show us all she can do nearly often enough, and so it is a special pleasure to see her in the title role of “Suze.” Her name is Susan, and that is what she is called by her colleagues at work and by her ex-husband Alan (Sandy Jobin-Bevans) and his new wife Jacinta (Sorika Wolf). Her daughter, Brooke (Sara Waisglass) calls her Mom, usually when she is trying to wheedle her into giving her something. And Susan has a very hard time saying no to Brooke, who, as the story begins, is about to graduate from high school. Though she promised her mother she would go to college locally and live at home, she is going to leave for McGill in Canada, several hours away.

The person who calls her “Suze” is Gage (Charlie Gillespie), Susan’s boyfriend, who has the personality of a St. Bernard who keeps knocking people over and jumping on the furniture, but who is always sincerely affectionate. Brooke, who is selfish, manipulative, and immature, likes Gage for the same reason she does not like her mother; both devote their whole lives to adoring her.

After Brooke dumps Gage by text, he has a bad fall, either a suicide attempt or a result of poor, high-risk decisions. Gage’s feckless father asks if he can stay with Susan for a few weeks. She says no at first. But she sees he has no other option, and reluctantly agrees.

So, we have one character with no filter and another who has so many filters her authentic self is barely recognizable. Susan gradually begins to understand that Gage is as lost as she is, and that his hearty ebullience is as much of a cover-up as her effort to create a perfect world for Brooke. She ultimately admits that was less for Brooke than for herself. “I thought if I made her really happy and gave her everything she needed she wouldn’t want to leave me.”

I have been a huge Watkins fan since she was on SNL, playing a highly caffeinated blogger and as a perpetually trying to maintain her professionalism Hoda Kotbe opposite Kristen Wiig’s irrepressible Kathy Lee Gifford. She brings enormous depth, complexity, and vulnerability to Susan.

Stories about opposites finding a way to care for each other are immediately compelling, especially those, like this one, where one represents the repressions of the ego and the other the impulses of the id. “Suze” keeps us enthralled with the specifics, authentically messy, of the developing relationship. There’s a touch of Susan’s missing someone to mother, especially someone, unlike Brooke, who appreciates being cared for and about. But most of what develops between them is a friendship. She begins to see that what irritates her the most about Gage is not the result of bad manners or a lack of boundaries but parental neglect. She begins to realize she has missed having someone to talk to. Her doctor tells her she is in perimenopause, meaning “things winding down inside.” That plus Brooke’s absence and news from her ex make her decide to open up to a possible relationship. But the stress of those factors also impair her ability to take that step.

Gillespie also makes a strong impression, especially in a quieter scene where he visits his mother. Both Susan and Gage keep making mistakes but they never lose our sympathy or our hope that they find purpose and connection. “Suze” is bittersweet, funny and sometimes sad but always heartfelt and honest, everything we hope for from an indie.

Parents should know that this movie includes sexual situations and some sexual references, teen drinking, drugs, and a possible attempted suicide.

Family discussion: Is Susan a good mother? Why did she tell Brooke to go back to school?

If you like this, try: “Take Care”

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Cha Cha Real Smooth

Cha Cha Real Smooth

Posted on June 16, 2022 at 5:44 pm

B +
Lowest Recommended Age: Mature High Schooler
MPAA Rating: Rated R for language and some sexual content
Profanity: Very strong language
Alcohol/ Drugs: Alcohol, drugs
Violence/ Scariness: Miscarriage, some scuffles, bullies
Diversity Issues: None
Date Released to Theaters: June 17, 2022

Copyright Apple 2022
This summer’s Sundance charmer is “Cha Cha Real Smooth,” the festival’s audience favorite. It is written, directed, produced, and co-edited by Cooper Raiff, who stars as Andrew, at a loss following his graduation from Tulane. His girlfriend has gone to Barcelona on a Fulbright scholarship and her social media suggests that she has moved on. He is sharing a room with his middle-school-age brother David (Evan Assante), in the home of the mother (Leslie Mann) he is very close to and the step-father (Brad Garrett) he is decidedly not very close to. He is working at that most dispiriting of jobs, a fast food place called Meat Sticks. Just at the moment when he should be moving forward, he is stuck.

We’ve seen a lot of movies about this difficult moment, from “The Graduate” to “Laggies,” when the promise and structure that have propelled someone from kindergarten through college somehow have not produced the sense of purpose and direction they were expecting. Raiff brings something unusual to the predicament this time. Andrew has a buoyant optimism, natural charm, and innate kindness that make him appealing both to the other characters in the story and to us. Raiff has an easy authenticity on screen that is especially impressive from someone directing himself.

in a brief prologue, we see young Andrew attending a bar mitzvah party, with a crush not on one of the girls his age but on the “party starter.” That’s the job of the “tummler” (in Yiddish), the person whose job is to keep the party mood happy and make sure everyone is involved and having a good time. It’s especially important for middle school parties, when the attendees are very excited but inexperienced. Once we’re in the present day, Andrew again finds himself at a bar mitzvah party for one of David’s classmates. And no one is on the dance floor.

Andrew has a gift for making kids feel confident and ready to participate. One girl is in a corner with headphones and a puzzle cube. Her name is Lola (Vanessa Burghardt) and she has autism. He bets her mother he can get her to dance. And he does. He is immediately surrounded by mothers who want to hire him to be the party starter for their b’nai mizvot. And since the kids involved all go to school together, he sees the same people over and over, including Lola and her mother Domino (Dakota Johnson, who also co-produced).

Andrew is drawn to Domino, who warms to him for his ability to connect to Lola. After he comes to her rescue at yet another bar mitzvah party, she invites him to be Lola’s sitter.

Andrew and Domino have to sort through their feelings for one another and Andrew has to do for himself what he does so skillfully for the 12- and 13-year olds he entices to the dance floor; he needs to find encouragement to take that next, seemingly-perilous step. Sometimes those lessons are painful, even when everyone involved is well-meaning. Raiff wisely lets Andrew learn them anyway. We leave knowing that Andrew will find his way and that Raiff already has.

Parents should know that this movie includes some very strong language, sexual references and situations, drinking and drunkenness, bullies, a miscarriage and some scuffles.

Family discussion: Why was it hard for Andrew to take the next step? What should he have done to prepare? Do you agree with Domino’s decision?

If you like this, try: “Laggies” and “Post Grad” and Raiff’s previous film, “S***house”

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Movies For Homebound Grown-Ups: Two Cool New Indies

Movies For Homebound Grown-Ups: Two Cool New Indies

Posted on April 16, 2020 at 12:05 pm

Copyright Aspiration 2020

You can have your own indie film festival at home now with some new releases:

Phoenix Oregon: James Le Gros plays a bartender and would-be graphic memoirist (James Le Gros) who has lost his way. The outstanding cast includes Lisa Edelstein as a liquor distributor, Dietrich Bader as the restaurant owner, and especially Jesse Borrego as the perfectionist chef who joins forces with the bartender to open a bowling alley.

Standing Up, Falling Down: Billy Crystal gives one of his all-time best performances as a doctor with a number of issues, including substance abuse, who befriends a would-be stand-up comic (Ben Schwartz). Grace Gummer is terrific as the comic’s sister.

And check out a new streaming service for indie films, Topic.

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Spirit Awards 2019: If Beale Street Could Talk, Glenn Close, Roma

Spirit Awards 2019: If Beale Street Could Talk, Glenn Close, Roma

Posted on February 24, 2019 at 8:00 am

Copyright Annapurna 2018
For me, the most significant and enjoyable movie awards of the year are the Spirit Awards (formerly Independent Spirit). I was thrilled that my favorite film of 2018, “If Beale Street Could Talk” was selected for Best Picture, Director, and Supporting Actress.

Here are the awards:

Best Feature
IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK (WINNER)

Best Director
Barry Jenkins, IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK (WINNER)

Best First Feature
SORRY TO BOTHER YOU

Best Male Lead
Ethan Hawke, FIRST REFORMED

Best Female Lead
Glenn Close, THE WIFE

Best Supporting Female Actor
Regina King, IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK

Best Supporting Male Actor
Richard E. Grant, CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?

Best Cinematography
Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, SUSPIRIA

Best Screenplay
Nicole Holofcener & Jeff Whitty, CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?

Best First Screenplay
Bo Burnham, EIGHTH GRADE

Best Editing
Joe Bini, YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE

Best Documentary
WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?

Best International Film
ROMA (Mexico)

The Truer Than Fiction Award
Bing Liu, MINDING THE GAP

Producers Award
Shrihari Sathe

The Someone to Watch Award
Alex Moratto, SÓCRATES

The Bonnie Award
Debra Granik

Robert Altman Award
SUSPIRIA
Director: Luca Guadagnino
Casting Directors: Avy Kaufman, Stella Savino
Ensemble Cast: Malgosia Bela, Ingrid Caven, Lutz Ebersdorf, Elena Fokina, Mia Goth, Jessica Harper, Dakota Johnson, Gala Moody, Chloë Grace Moretz, Renée Soutendijk, Tilda Swinton, Sylvie Testud, Angela Winkler

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Awards Independent
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