Ugly Cry | SXSW 2026 Film Review

The fragility of a woman’s self security has only become more complex over recent years with the influx of social media and heightened standards on attractiveness. While beauty is definitively in the eye of the beholder, there is a magic that comes from the passion of youth. Whether that is for romantic or professional pursuits, the storms and tides seem to rise even greater. Ugly Cry delves into the intimate struggle of internalized self-doubt and the human element of not feeling good enough.

Delaney – played by director Emily Robinson – is a young, starving actress who is trying to get her big break. She puts in the effort and yet, over and over, Delaney makes it to callbacks without any real offers. Surprisingly, her beloved boyfriend Miles (Aaron Dominguez) has achieved the status she seeks. When Miles departs for the filming of his new film, and a gorgeous co-star love interest, past trauma and paranoia resurfaces for Delaney.

Emily Robinson’s directorial focus appears on the surface to be the common Hollywood tale of attempting to rise to fame, but there is more beneath the surface. Robinson does a wonderful job toying with the audience’s perception of Delaney and her mental state. By the end, we begin to question: is her worry warranted or is she slowly slipping into delusion?

As Delaney progresses in her acting pursuits with a callback opportunity, contention rises between her and her best friend – who is also an actress pursuing the same role. We begin to see a varied side of Delaney, one that is jealous, but whose jealousy is rooting in self-doubt. When her audition feedback is simply that she has “an ugly cry” – which let’s be honest, is valid – Delaney spends thousands of dollars attempting to alter herself into something different. Maybe just blow your nose of snot and hold back the whining wails, girl; you’re beautiful as is.

Delaney’s feelings spiral into hearing noises that no one else hears, bad memories replaying in her mind, and even physical hallucinations. It becomes overtly obvious to her mom (Robin Tunney, The Craft), Miles, and even her boss that there is something very different about Delaney. The physical damage runs parallel to the psychological damage that unresolved trauma can have on one’s life. Yet, the self-sabotage of a damaged person is an opportunity for us all to view them more empathetically.

Ugly Cry works best when it leans into the messy, uncomfortable vulnerability at the center of Delaney’s unraveling. While the film occasionally falls back on the all too familiar clichés of struggling actors and Hollywood jealousy, its real strength lies in portraying how quietly and convincingly self-doubt can distort reality.

Robinson’s directorial debut invites us to sit with Delaney’s insecurity, rather than simply judge it, reminding us how fragile identity can become when our worth is constantly measured against others. Even when the story treads familiar ground, Ugly Cry leaves us with a lingering question about the cost of chasing validation in an industry and culture that rarely offers it.