OFF THE CUFF: UGLY CRY

description

An actor loses their dream role because of their "ugly cry" — causing them to spiral down the dark and dangerous path to perfection.

When Delaney's (writer-director Emily Robinson) boyfriend leaves town to shoot a splashy zombie movie, she becomes obsessed with a character she's auditioning for after she learns the producers think she has an "ugly cry." But when she tries to make her cry prettier, her performance suffers. Can she contort herself, and her face, to have the perfect cry?

Her attempts to change herself cause Young Delaney to haunt her, catapulting present-day Delaney deeper down the rabbit hole. She isolates herself and grows increasingly delusional, and interested in physical fixes to her acting problem. How can she make the world see her as she sees herself? How can she become and become and become? She will become famous. Or die trying.

OFFICIAL SELECTION
SXSW 2026
Overlook Film Festival 2026
Vancouver International Film Festival 2026

DIRECTOR'S BIO
Emily Robinson is a writer, director, and SAG Award-nominated, Special Drama Desk Award-winning actor known for her work in EIGHTH GRADE, THE YEAR BETWEEN, PRIVATE LIFE, THE EDGE OF EVERYTHING, and TRANSPARENT. Her directorial debut feature film, UGLY CRY, premiered at SXSW 2026. Her short films have screened at numerous festivals, such as LA Film Festival, Outfest, and Frameline. Her debut novel, CONSUMED, was published in 2023. Robinson holds a B.A. in Creative Writing from Columbia University.

OFF THE CUFF is a year-round series presented by the Calgary Underground Film Festival. For those films we just can't make work with our festival dates, we go off the CUFF..