Lily Rader - Can I Make It Up To You | Babes -

Rader has said in interviews that the scene was improvised after eight takes of the written dialogue. “The written version had her apologizing for specific things,” she noted in a 2023 Q&A. “But in the moment, I realized the specifics didn’t matter. What mattered was the desire to make it right, even when you know you probably can’t.”

If you haven’t seen Babes yet (stop reading and go find it—I’ll wait), the film follows two young women navigating the messy, often unspoken territory between friendship and something more. Rader, who both wrote and stars in the piece, has a reputation for slicing through cinematic melodrama to get to the raw, ugly-beautiful truth of queer intimacy. With “Can I Make It Up to You,” she doesn’t just write a scene. She performs a thesis on remorse. babes - lily rader - can i make it up to you

Schmidt’s response is the film’s knockout punch. She doesn’t say yes. She doesn’t say no. She simply kneels down, touches Rader’s cheek, and whispers: Rader has said in interviews that the scene

The offense is never fully explained, and that’s the genius of it. We don’t need to know if it was a lie, a betrayal, or simply a failure to show up. All we know is that the damage is done, and the silence between them is heavier than any monologue could be. What mattered was the desire to make it

If you’ve ever been the one who messed up, you’ll see yourself in her trembling hands and desperate eyes. If you’ve ever been the one who was hurt, you’ll feel the impossible weight of Schmidt’s reply.

Babes isn’t a feel-good watch. It’s a feel-everything watch. And Lily Rader’s “Can I Make It Up to You” will stick in your ribs long after the credits roll.