Ugly Cry Altered States
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About
Canadian Premiere
Twenty-four-year-old aspiring actor Delaney (writer-director Emily Robinson) struggles with impostor syndrome. Riddled with separation anxiety while her boyfriend Miles (Aaron Dominguez) is away filming a zombie movie, Delaney finally lands the audition of her dreams. A problem soon emerges: the producers say she has an “ugly cry.” Determined to contort herself into the pretty mask of misery that Hollywood demands of her, Delaney spirals into a botox-and-pilates fuelled obsession with her looks. As her grip on reality slips through her perfectly manicured fingers, a spectre from her past returns to haunt her.
This genre-bending psychological thriller marks an impressive feature debut for writer-director Emily Robinson, who also stars in the film. Robinson’s poignant and fantastically cringe-inducing performance is complemented by some side-splittingly comical turns from the film’s impeccable cast, including Robin Tunney (The Mentalist) as Delaney’s irreverent mother, and Melinda McGraw (Mad Men) as a fussy botox specialist. With a cheeky injection of delirium and dark humour, Ugly Cry takes a clever jab at internet-age beauty standards and gender norms.
Content Considerations: Needles, body dysphoria
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Media Partner
Twenty-four-year-old aspiring actor Delaney (writer-director Emily Robinson) struggles with impostor syndrome. Riddled with separation anxiety while her boyfriend Miles (Aaron Dominguez) is away filming a zombie movie, Delaney finally lands the audition of her dreams. A problem soon emerges: the producers say she has an “ugly cry.” Determined to contort herself into the pretty mask of misery that Hollywood demands of her, Delaney spirals into a botox-and-pilates fuelled obsession with her looks. As her grip on reality slips through her perfectly manicured fingers, a spectre from her past returns to haunt her.
This genre-bending psychological thriller marks an impressive feature debut for writer-director Emily Robinson, who also stars in the film. Robinson’s poignant and fantastically cringe-inducing performance is complemented by some side-splittingly comical turns from the film’s impeccable cast, including Robin Tunney (The Mentalist) as Delaney’s irreverent mother, and Melinda McGraw (Mad Men) as a fussy botox specialist. With a cheeky injection of delirium and dark humour, Ugly Cry takes a clever jab at internet-age beauty standards and gender norms.
Content Considerations: Needles, body dysphoria
Supported by
Media Partner
