Dramarama

An incredible little engine that could. This film really feels like it's own genre. It's smart, funny, camp, and thoughtful. Excellent filmmaking. Feels like spending time with old friends. Watch this now.

Whilst the premiss of this is nothing remotely new, the acting from these youngsters is actually quite engaging at times. It's their last day before all heading off for their new lives in colleges across the United States, so they get together for a Victorian-inspired murder mystery evening. Things are interrupted when their pizza delivery boy turns out to be "JD" (Zak Henri) who fancies himself as a bit of a wise-cracking Lothario and is rather scathing of their entertainment. Before he leaves, he invites his friend "Gene" (Nick Pugliese) to a party later and that sows the seed for the ensuing, predictable, dissent amongst the group who now proceed to fall out then in again with a teenage regularity. Though the elephant in the room is never actually addressed, it's pretty clear as the conversation develops that none of the gang have ever dated - and with sexual tension (and friction) increasing we sense that there is something that "Gene" is gagging to tell his friends, but he just can't bring himself to. The drama is the usual mix of temperamental and hormonal stuff, but it's surprisingly effective at throwing you back to when you were a teenager (especially if your sexuality didn't quite conform to "norms") and at how decisions on life and love are being made by folk really nowhere near mature enough to handle or understand them. On first look it's not going to amount to much (and "Oscar" (Nico Greetham) just reminded me of the annoying "Kurt" from "Glee"), but the individual efforts do work quite well once we get going. Think "Cluedo" only there's no need to weapons, just tongues and secrets.

I loved this film! The writing and the acting are so pure and authentic, relating situations we've all been in with people we've all known before. Regardless of whether you grew up with or around theater nerds, Wysocki's given us characters that are familiar (we've all known a Claire, a Rose, a JD, all of them) and he's put them in one of the most familiar-to-all-of-us scenarios: graduating high school, what's coming next as we grow older, and what's going to happen to my band of best friends after all this change. Add to that the difficult circumstance of needing to share something with those best friends that you worry would not only change the dynamic irrevocably, but dissolve the group (or your welcome within it) forever.

The fear that friends (even close friends) can grow apart after big change but change is coming one way or another is what hit home for me. Wysocki handles all of this beautifully. The characters are so well-developed, I found myself connecting with each one as they navigate through what could be the beginning of the end of their close-knit group. Or not! The film is all about what happens during a last night together party (although, many emotions dealt with have clearly been brewing for months or years..."dealt with" being the kind that separates the "friends" from the "friends like family") and, thankfully, there's no "Where are they now?" epilogue over frozen screenshots, so it's left to the viewer to imagine the future. But there's something in how Wysocki tells the story that shows us that, whatever happens, they'll all, at the very least, be ok.

Highly recommend!

This film took me right back into my (awkward) high school years in a way that was really sweet and unexpected. The actors are all so good - especially Danielle Kay and Nick Pugliese. I laughed out loud so many times and definitely got a lump in my throat in the last scene. It all just felt so genuine. Definitely not your typical coming-of-age film.

It's a little movie with a big heart. Really well written. Some of the scenes are just so real...like: take you back to that awful time in your life real. All the fronting like you have it all figured out. That checked out. The end is very bittersweet. Overall, really pleasantly surprised.