Dramarama (2024)

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.