Baby is a 17-year-old Chinese immigrant living with her abusive mother on the outskirts of Seattle. She is quiet among her peers, seemingly unsure of herself and fearful of their judgements. As Baby uses art to express her conflicted sense of self, she encounters Fox: grungy, erratic, and similarly lost. He expresses his emotions through impulsive outbursts, theft, and an attitude that makes it clear he has no interest in the consequences of his actions.

Their relationship is instantly explosive and often destructive, but it gives them each something to hold onto. As Baby learns more about what she wants from her relationship with Fox, she begins to reconsider how she relates to her mother and the larger world around her.

Written by the film’s star, Zita Bai, the film pulses with originality. Bai perfectly communicates the feeling of first love and the moment when you begin to understand who you are. The characters populating Baby, Don’t Cry feel familiar and simultaneously alien, encapsulating a youthful sense of unreality. Bai establishes herself as a storyteller to watch, working seamlessly with director Jesse Dvorak. -Greta Hagen-Richardson