The Substance, a now-beloved horror film from 2024 that is already being parodied in the upcoming Scary Movie 6, was the perfect example of a story that tackles the gross and unrealistic beauty standards of Hollywood. Given its endlessly relevant subject matter, it's no surprise that another film has taken a stab at similar commentary—and it might even be better.
The movie in question, Ugly Cry, premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival and is director Emily Robinson's feature-length debut, making it all the more impressive. Robinson, who also wrote and starred in the movie, brings to life a hauntingly relatable cautionary tale that addresses the unfair and cruel beauty expectations that Hollywood, and society as a whole, have nailed into place.
Ugly Cry follows Delaney, an aspiring actress whose dream role is lost due to her supposed "ugly cry." In a desperate attempt to fix this and get what she feels she deserves, she slowly spirals down a dangerous path towards perfection. Yes, the concept is parallel to The Substance, but its unique identity should be more than enough to garner interest. Ugly Cry doesn't need to use intense, surreal horror to get its point across. Instead, it's a clever mix of realism, satirical humor, and heart that all make for an experience that'll stick with you after the credits roll.
The Direct's Russ Milheim sat down with Ugly Cry writer, director, and star Emily Robinson to talk about her directorial debut, how it compares to The Substance, conveying her character's journey through the film's style, and just how much body horror she wanted to include.
Ugly Cry Leans More Into Realism Than 'The Substance'
"Real-Life Is Already Horrific."
- The Direct: "What are your thoughts on that comparison and people being quick to make that connection [to The Substance]?
Emily Robinson: I mean, I think 'The Substance' in many ways is more of a typical horror film. It goes to the crazy place, and it kind of is hitting genre beats in a more traditional way. I think also, like, message-wise, thematically, they dance around similar subjects, but I think what they're actually saying is somewhat different. Of course, they're both about aging, and they're both about all of these things. I won't get too much into my, like my read of 'The Substance.'
I also think that something that we really tried to explore in this is genuinely the relationship with community, with her mother, with her friend, and the way that we continue to police each other, and uphold these standards that are kind of tearing us down as well. And also the ways in which we kind of self-sabotage the ability to have a supportive community sometimes, when we feel imposter syndrome and don't trust that we are enough as artists and people.
- The Direct: "I like that you brought up a horror, and this isn't a horror movie, but I do feel like you dip your toes into it. It definitely does get into that same realm. There's only so much you're gonna be able to say, but what was it like balancing that, knowing that this isn't a horror film, but you did want to touch that genre at least a little?"
Emily Robinson: I would say originally it was—It's funny, it's, like, industry, it's all these things, and then it was also like, oh, but this is body horror. I had also written a body horror book before that I'm adapting as well, and so I love the body horror space, and so this felt, at first, I was like, 'oh yeah, we're gonna go [there].'
It felt like if we went far into, sort of, the unnatural of body horror and the unreal realm, it would detract from the way that real life is already horrific, and already kind of terrifying, and enough of that. And so I wanted to make sure that the gravity of the real world was felt, which is why we didn't push it more aggressively [into a] gray horror domain, and kind of leaned more into the psychological thriller comedy, lightly body horror world.
Conveying Delany's Fall From Grace Through Style, Cinematography, and Acting
"We Really Wanted It to Start to Feel More and More Claustrophobic..."
- The Direct: "I want to talk about how Delaney's going through so much in this movie, and obviously, the concept is she's falling from grace. She's breaking down. It gets worse and worse. When you were approaching making the film, what were the changes in style, cinematography, and just acting choices, and how did those evolve and change as her character fell further and further?
Emily Robinson: We really wanted it to start to feel more and more claustrophobic, especially since we're living in the apartment for so long. We thought a lot about, like, how is this going to shift? How are we going to shift the way that the apartment feels to us?
And so we were focused on increasing the number of refractions, like screens and reflections that we see her through, so that her face is more and more distorted, or filtered through screens. And also, yeah, feeling both more suffocated and also more alone.
Also, there's quite a drastic change in the color throughout the film. It goes from being somewhat normal, it gets somewhat warm, and then at the very end of the film, it's substantially colder than when we began the film. And hopefully it's not too stark when you're watching it. Like, we transition it pretty, pretty subtly.
But by the end, the effect is to make it feel really isolated and scary and alone. And so those were some of the visual cues that we were sort of working with, to kind of bring the audience along with Delaney on this crazy journey.
What's Next for Emily Robinson?
From Body Horror to Rom-Coms, This Isn't the Last You've Seen of Her.
- The Direct: Last thing I want to ask is just, you know, what's next for you? Like, what do you have lined up, and like, what are some genres that you really want to do next?
Emily Robinson: I have a few projects that I'm developing right now. One of them's a bit more aggressively body horror, but it's also a love story. I really love rom-coms. I grew up on, like, cozy, cozy, early 2000s rom-coms, so I love that. I love a twisty, dark comedy. I don't know, I kind of like things that live on the edge of genre, as this does, and get to dabble and borrow from a few different worlds, so I hope to have the opportunity to continue down this thriller body-horror genre and also explore other avenues.
Ugly Cry does not currently have a release date.
