SORRY | Omeleto

A woman makes a call. Claire called in an order for takeout, but she received the wrong order, three hours late. Claire wants to just move on, but her friend Ava wants her to call and demand a refund, and she's trying to support and coach Claire to advocate for what she wants and deserves. Being assertive is hard, but with Ava's coaching, Claire attempts to call but ends up apologizing for being a pain. Faced with Claire's failure, Ava descends into an existential spiral as she confronts the endless apologies she and others like her feel compelled to offer. Directed by Alex Getlin and Adam Schaller and written by Alex Getlin, this incisive short comedy takes apart the instinctual impulse to apologize that many women do automatically in almost any situation of discomfort or inconvenience, deconstructing it to an almost forensic level with lacerating wit and sharp social observation. This isn't a comedy aiming to please, but one that uses humor to analyze the underlying absurdism of a seemingly benign social practice and see it for the ludicrousness that it often is. Shot in a straightforward but sometimes deadpan style, the storytelling is a funny yet uneasy blend of intensity and playfulness that would almost feel satirical if not for the sincerity at its core. We open on Claire in a crisis, with Ava at her side, trying to help her navigate a difficult situation. But the difficult situation is a very quotidian one: Claire got the wrong order three hours late, and she wants a refund. But Claire is non-confrontational and she doesn't want to be a hassle, though with Ava's help, she realizes a refund is what she deserves. But when Claire finally works up the nerve to call, she almost instantly dissolves into a puddle of embarrassment when the restaurant pushes back, apologizing profusely for being annoying and giving up. This rocks Ava to her core, which she carries over into her next interaction in a grocery store, when Ava's cart collides with another woman, who apologizes for being in the way. Ava goes off, allowing actor Alex Getlin to launch into a verbal aria taking apart the constant apologies she, Claire and other women offer by default. The dialogue is almost a monologue, but it takes apart the constant apologies offered. The endless echo of "Sorry" is a way to take up less space in the world, to manage the feelings around others, to stay likable and non-offensive. They're rooted in the emotional labor that femininity demands, and Ava has had enough of apologizing when it's not warranted. Of course, it's not so easy to change, something that SORRY acknowledges with one last rueful laugh. Smart and stinging with honesty, the film is fierce and clear-eyed, reminding us that apologies are, by definition, an acknowledgement of offenses or failures, and that we don't need to apologize for using our voices, speaking up or simply being in the world. Its message is delivered with insight and intelligence, forthright and unapologetic as it would like us to be. SORRY. Courtesy of Alex Getlin at https://alexgetlin.com.