A group of high school theater friends wrestle with a liminal stage of their lives in Dramarama, an LGBTQ coming-of-age drama from director Jonathan Wysocki, who asks what happens when reality contradicts the foundation upon which a friend group is built. In a confusing time of limbo, these deeply flawed and likable teenagers contemplate uncertain futures, wordlessly asking each other, “Where do we go from here?”
Set in 1994 Escondido, California, Dramarama utilizes a limited cast of characters from similar backgrounds. It opens with 18-year-old Gene (Nick Pugliese) coming out as gay to his mirror before refusing an offer from his mother to go to church with her. He’s less confident with his friends, however—wary of their “hate-the sin-not the sinner” Christian mentality.
There’s the confident Rose (Anna Grace Barlow), the sardonic Ally (Danielle Kay), the carefree Oliver (Nico Greetham), and the prim-and-proper Claire (Megan Suri). And then there’s Gene: sweet and witty, apprehensive and tentatively hopeful. When he arrives at Rose’s slumber party (Victorian-murder-mystery style), his fellow theater aficionados are a bit surprised that he would even show up. Distant and quiet as of late, Gene is afraid of coming out to them. All they know is that he is keeping secrets; they aren’t happy about it.
What follows is a one-night, one-setting narrative that plays out something like a reversal of The Breakfast Club. Touching moments, miscommunications, stinging insults, reconciliations—Dramarama has it all but provides not so much a wholesome, happy ending as it does a true-to-life state of flux and instability. Wysocki’s vision results in a wonderfully subversive coming-out film, utilizing niche-yet-relatable characters through which the 90s-era attitudes towards the LGBTQ community can uniquely interact with the film’s religious context.
Dramarama is a coming-of-age drama that’s both nostalgic and current. If you went to high school in the 90s, if you were a theater kid, or if you come from a conservative religious background—you will know these characters intimately. A teen flick that shouldn’t be limited to teen audiences, Wysocki’s film is for anyone who loves coming-of-age dramas, but especially for the closeted religious teenager in search of resonant LGBTQ narratives. Highly recommended.
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What type of library programming could use this title?
Dramarama would make an excellent discussion piece for LGBTQ and young adult library programming. Libraries with film clubs for teenagers should highly consider this title.
What public library shelves would this title be on?
The film can be purchased for LGBTQ+, drama, comedy, and coming-of-age shelves.
What kind of film series would this narrative fit in?
Dramarama would be a great addition to film series about the intersection of LGBTQ+ identity and religious identity, grouped with movies like The Miseducation of Cameron Post and Boy Erased.