As a huge film buff, I’ve been checking out the nominations for the 98th Academy Awards, and overall, it looks like 2025 was a really strong year for movies! Lots of fantastic titles are up for awards – things like One Battle After Another, Sinners, Marty Supreme, Hamnet, KPop: Demon Hunters, No Other Choice, Sentimental Value, and It Was Just An Accident are all in the running for major categories. In fact, Sinners managed to snag more nominations than ever before! But, I have to say, I was really disappointed to see that Sorry, Baby – one of the best films of the year, in my opinion – was completely overlooked by the Academy.
Eva Victor wrote, directed, and stars in the dark comedy Sorry, Baby, which follows a graduate student coping with the aftermath of a sexual assault by her mentor. The film explores her struggles to move forward and avoid letting this single event define her life. Despite receiving widespread critical praise – including being named the best A24 film of 2025 by MovieWeb and surpassing even Marty Supreme, a Best Picture nominee – Sorry, Baby didn’t receive any award nominations. This article explains why the film seemed certain to win at least Best Original Screenplay and why its complete shutout is so disheartening.
‘Sorry, Baby’s Acclaim and Awards Buzz
A24
The film Sorry, Baby premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on January 27th and was almost universally praised by critics. As of now, it holds a 97% ‘Fresh’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 168 reviews – a higher score than films nominated for Best Picture like Bugonia (88%), Frankenstein (85%), and F1 (81%). After a competitive bidding process, A24 acquired the film for $8 million, outbidding companies like Searchlight Pictures, Mubi, and Neon. It initially screened in a limited number of theaters on June 25th, 2025, and then expanded to more locations on July 25th.
The film Sorry, Baby has been gaining recognition throughout awards season. It won a screenwriting award at Sundance and received nominations from the Critics’ Choice Awards and the Golden Globes. After a successful closing at Cannes in May 2025, director Eva Victor was nominated for two awards there. Currently, Sorry, Baby has four nominations for the Independent Spirit Awards, including Best Feature, Best Supporting Actress for Naomi Ackie, and Best Director and Screenplay for Eva Victor. Considering its awards success and inclusion on many “Best of 2025” lists, Sorry, Baby was considered a strong contender for Best Original Screenplay and a possible dark horse for Best Picture.
There was speculation that the film Sorry, Baby might receive a late surge in votes from Oscar voters after Julia Roberts specifically praised it and its director, Eva Victor, at the 83rd Golden Globes on January 11, 2026. While presenting the Best Drama award, Roberts called Sorry, Baby a favorite and urged people to watch it. However, with Oscar voting closing just five days later on January 16, this boost from Julia Roberts may have happened too close to the deadline to significantly impact the results.
Can a Smaller Movie Like ‘Sorry, Baby’ Even Break Into the Academy Award Conversation Anymore?
A24
Eva Victor deserved a Best Actress nomination more than Kate Hudson did in Song Sung Blue. While Victor’s performance in Sorry, Baby was a standout in 2025, she wasn’t considered a major contender. The Academy seemed to favor established stars giving dramatic performances, as seen with Kate Hudson and Emma Stone’s fifth Oscar nomination for Bugonia. It’s also great to see Rose Byrne nominated for Best Actress for If I Had Legs I’d Kick You; both that film and Sorry, Baby premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2025.
Many people thought Sorry, Baby was a sure thing for a Best Original Screenplay nomination, which makes its omission so disappointing. The category was incredibly strong this year, with all the nominated films – Blue Moon, It Was Just an Accident, Marty Supreme, Sentimental Value, and Sinners – featuring excellent scripts. Unfortunately, one film had to be left out, and this year it was Sorry, Baby. It was a remarkably competitive field, showcasing a wealth of great screenwriting. The same level of quality wasn’t apparent in the Best Picture category, however.
While Sorry, Baby was an unexpected contender for Best Picture, many hoped it could follow in the footsteps of Sundance hits like Little Miss Sunshine or Juno. However, those films were nominated almost 20 years ago, and the awards landscape has shifted significantly since then. It felt ironic that the Oscar nominations were announced on the very day the 2026 Sundance Film Festival began. Of all the Best Picture nominees, only Train Dreams had premiered at Sundance the previous year, and it benefited from Netflix’s substantial awards campaign.
A24 acquired the film Sorry, Baby, but it appears they’re focusing all their awards efforts on Marty Supreme. This isn’t surprising, considering Marty Supreme is A24’s most costly film to date, with a $75 million budget, and features a well-known actor like Timothée Chalamet. Unfortunately, this means Sorry, Baby hasn’t received much support. While a film’s quality and positive reviews are important, a strong awards campaign also makes a difference. Since Sorry, Baby was released back in June, the focus has shifted to newer films like Bugonia, Marty Supreme, and Frankenstein, all of which benefit from having famous actors. Sinners has remained in the conversation largely because Warner Bros. heavily invested in its marketing, and its status as a major 2025 release also helped.
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It’s a shame that Sorry, Baby wasn’t nominated for Best Picture instead of F1 or even Train Dreams. While it’s good to see the Academy recognizing more international films, like Sentimental Value and The Secret Agent, it’s frustrating that a smaller film like Sorry, Baby could be overlooked by the very people who are meant to champion these kinds of movies. Without strong studio support or the resources of a major streaming service like Netflix, Amazon, or Apple, it’s hard for a film like Sorry, Baby to get the attention it deserves during awards season.
Even though Julia Roberts couldn’t get enough buzz around Sorry, Baby for it to be considered for the Academy Awards, hopefully it still encouraged many people to see what critics are calling one of the year’s best films.
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2026-01-23 20:04