K-12

Cry Baby is a strong, sensitive girl who is sent to a strange boarding school hidden behind a grand facade. There she is bullied by students whose minds are controlled by the principal and his staff. Her best friend Angelita stands up for her, and together with magical friends they meet and an angelic spirit guide, the two find the strength to push back against the school's oppressive, regimented system. The film blends fantasy and horror with music, using songs to carry its story of friendship and resistance.

K-12 was released in 2019 and runs 92 minutes. It was directed and written by Melanie Martinez, who also stars as Cry Baby, a role she had already developed in her earlier music. The cast includes Elita Harkov, Megan Gage, Maggie Budzyna, Zión Moreno and Marsalis Wilson, among 34 credited performers. It was produced by Tyler Zelinsky, Nicole Rocklin and Kimberly Stuckwisch, with Atlantic Records among the production companies, and made on a budget of about 6 million dollars. The film pairs its narrative with Martinez's album of the same name.

Audience responses differ: on IMDb it holds 6.5 out of 10 from roughly 4,300 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 7.8 out of 10 from around 293 votes. Both point to a film with a committed following rather than broad consensus.