The 2026 Sundance Film Festival was a bittersweet milestone—the first since the passing of founder Robert Redford and the last in Park City before the move to Boulder. But the festival's spirit shone through with a lineup of fresh voices, including Paloma Schneideman's directorial debut, Big Girls Don't Cry, which has earned a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Now, ShowtimeSpot has the exclusive first look at its trailer.
Set in rural New Zealand in 2006, the film centers on 14-year-old Sid Bookman (newcomer Ani Palmer), who spends her summer break chasing the approval of a group of older, wealthier teens. In the age of instant messaging, she dives into flirtations and risky social circles, losing sight of her true self. Enter Freya, played by The Summer I Turned Pretty's Rain Spencer, her older sister's American friend who sees through Sid's facade and tries to steer her back to reality.
The trailer opens with Sid looking restless at home, unsure how to fill her Christmas break. She's drawn to the cool kids at the pool, messaging her crush and imagining herself in their world. When Freya arrives, Sid begins to break out of her shell, but the party scene pushes her into uncomfortable territory. She clashes with her artist father (Noah Taylor, of Game of Thrones fame), who can't understand her, and wrestles with her own queer adolescent awkwardness as she adopts different personas to fit in.
It's a classic coming-of-age tale, but with a fresh lens—one that explores the messy, often reckless path to self-discovery. The film emerged from Jane Campion's A Wave in the Ocean program, with the two-time Oscar winner serving as executive producer. Since Sundance, it has won top honors at the Biarritz Film Festival and earned praise from critics, including Collider's Taylor Gates, who called it "something special" in an 8/10 review.
For fans of the genre, this is a must-watch. If you're looking for more stories about growing up, check out our ranking of the greatest coming-of-age novels—or dive into other underrated gems like Noah Wyle's The Red Line.
Big Girls Don't Cry hits theaters this October. Watch the exclusive trailer above and get ready for a summer of chaos, heartbreak, and growth.
