In a utopian near future where crying has ceased to exist, an emotional young woman — the only person who can still shed tears — teams up with her protective older sister on a journey into the underground world of weeping.

Director Biography - Kim Xiong

Kim Xiong is a Hmong-American director, writer, and producer born and raised in Fresno, California. She is drawn to stories at the intersection of the Asian American diaspora and imagination, creating worlds that balance emotional truth with surrealism. Kim began her creative journey in Los Angeles as the Writing Director for LCC Theatre Company, UCLA’s Asian American theatre and improv group. She is currently a Producer at Riot Games, where she has worked on animated storytelling projects for League of Legends, Teamfight Tactics, and Valorant. CRYBABY marks her directorial debut.

Director Statement

CRYBABY is a playful exploration of emotional repression, set in a utopian future where tears have mysteriously vanished. At its heart is a thorny sisterhood: an older sibling who's taken on the role of reluctant parent, and a younger one whose rare “affliction”, the ability to cry, has made her the last emotional being on Earth. Their dynamic, tangled in resentment, obligation, and fierce love, propels them through underground crying clubs, weeping cults, and a surreal journey toward connection.

This film grew out of my own complicated relationship with vulnerability. As the eldest daughter of refugees and the older sister to four brothers, I was shaped by a deep sense of responsibility from a young age. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve been learning to reconnect with my inner crybaby — unlearning the shame around tears and discovering that there is real strength in allowing myself to feel deeply.

In a world that often treats crying as weakness, I imagined a society that eliminated tears altogether. But in their absence, emotion became sacred. Even coveted. Because emotional repression is both tragic and strangely absurd, I leaned into comedy. The script unfolds as a series of surreal, sketch-like moments, each revealing a new offbeat logic or eccentric character. Beneath the humor lies a simple question: why were we so afraid to feel?

Music also became a language for the things our characters can’t say aloud. Throughout the score, we layered voices and scattered cries giving sound to the character’s inner voice. Even in a world without tears, emotion finds a way to seep through the cracks.

Like most passion projects, this film took a year to make, but it’s been a decade in the making. From late-night brainstorms with friends to hallway tears in corporate offices, CRYBABY is the culmination of years of emotion, repression, and (finally) release. I’m so grateful to the friends, collaborators, and supporters who helped bring this film to life.

CRYBABY is a heartfelt letter to older siblings, to little ones, to best friends, to exhausted parents, to anyone who’s ever carried too much or felt too deeply. I hope it makes you laugh. I hope it makes you feel something. And maybe, just maybe, it makes you tear up.