I didn't want to write about violence or assault... I wanted to explore how a person heals

Billions actor Eva Victor speaks to LYNN RUSK about directing and starring in Sorry, Baby - a dark comedy exploring sexual assault and trauma

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EVA VICTOR never imagined writing, directing, and starring in their own film, until the coronavirus pandemic sparked an all-consuming obsession with movies.

After leaving New York for Maine, the French-American filmmaker, 31, who identifies as nonbinary began work on Sorry, Baby, a screenplay about a young literature professor navigating the aftermath of sexual assault. The project took shape shortly after Eva endured a similar experience.

Produced by Oscar-winning Moonlight creator Barry Jenkins, Sorry, Baby is a dark comedy centred on Agnes, played by Eva, as she struggles to find her way back to herself through gallows humour and the steadfast support of her friend Lydie, portrayed by Mickey 17 star Naomi Ackie.

While her friends move on to faraway lives, Agnes remains in the college town where she once excelled, only to find herself stuck.

“I found myself writing the film I felt I needed when I was in a similar crisis to Agnes,” says Billions star Eva. “I didn’t want to write about violence or assault specifically, as much as I wanted to explore how a person heals.

“What interested me most was digging into that feeling of being stuck, seeing people you love moving on while you're still caught in the bad thing that happened to you.

“I started out writing this for the person I used to be.”

Set in rural New England, the film opens with a reunion between Agnes and Lydie. Visiting from New York, Lydie shares that she is pregnant via a sperm donor.

The pair then visit another old friend, Natasha, played by Kelly McCormack (Sugar Daddy), now a fellow academic of Agnes’s at the same college where they first met as graduate students.