UGLY CRY
Section: Narrative Spotlight
Writer-Director: Emily Robinson
Logline: An actor (Emily Robinson) loses their dream role because of their “ugly cry” causing them to spiral down the dark and dangerous path to perfection.
Panelists: writer/director/producer/actor Emily Robinson, actors Robin Tunney, Ryan Simpkins, and Aaron Dominguez
Sales Agent: Yellow Veil Pictures
Premiered: Thursday, March 12, Alamo Lamar / Alamo Lamar 2
Key Quotes: On the genesis of her debut feature, Robinson told us, “I’ve been in entertainment since I was five years old, and I think during the pandemic especially, I spent a lot of time thinking about some of the more difficult aspects of the industry and the internet and the ways in which we can objectify ourselves and compare ourselves to other people in ways that can turn really unhealthy, especially when in isolation. And I wanted to explore that in a film.”
Tonally, she said, “We always wanted it to feel grounded and comedic because I think Hollywood is an inherently silly place, as well. And also, that’s just how I cope with life…if we can’t laugh at it and cringe at it, I don’t know how to experience it…To me, the haunting and the psychological thriller aspects were always deeply important and fuel the film. But also, some of the haunting is kind of benevolent and almost heartwarming sometimes. So it was kind of an interesting little genre-bendy modge podge that we were playing with.”
On the pressures Hollywood places on actors when it comes to physical appearance, now versus in generations past, Tunney said, “It was incredibly pervasive [in the past] and what was allowed was crazy. So coming from the other side, I think it’s getting better, but I think it’s still incredibly difficult, especially on women.”
Simpkins added, “I also think there’s this rise right now in Botox culture, diet culture. It’s a huge conversation. Like, numbness is in, and I think it’s just because of a rising trend of fascism that we’re all expected to assimilate. That’s a really big discourse right now, just through social media — there’s so much pressure. It’s hard not to think about it literally all the time.”
Deadline’s SXSW Studio is running from March 12-14 at The Thompson Hotel, where the cast and creatives behind the best and buzziest titles in this year’s lineup sat down to discuss their movies and the paths they took to get to Austin, TX.
The 2026 SXSW Film Festival is taking place through March 18th. Follow Deadline’s complete coverage of happenings in Austin here.
Deadline Studio at SXSW presented by Redbreast Irish Whiskey.
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