# Drama — Genre

> Character-driven films exploring human emotion, relationships, and moral complexity. The "default" prestige genre.

## Defining elements

- Character-driven plot
- Emotional realism
- Moral complexity
- Real-world (mostly)
- Slow burn often
- Internal conflict prominent
- Subtext heavy

## Audience expectations

- Emotional engagement
- Authentic characters
- Real consequences
- Earned catharsis
- Quality performances
- Director vision

## Sub-genres

| Sub-genre | Example |
|-----------|---------|
| Family drama | Manchester by the Sea |
| Coming-of-age | Lady Bird, Boyhood |
| Period drama | The Power of the Dog |
| Social drama | Nomadland |
| Romance drama | Past Lives |
| Workplace drama | Spotlight |
| Crime drama | Mystic River |
| Domestic drama | Marriage Story |
| Historical drama | 12 Years a Slave |
| Political drama | The Trial of the Chicago 7 |
| Faith drama | First Reformed |

## Structural conventions

### Slower pacing
- Scenes can breathe
- Silence has weight
- Build through accumulation

### Character over plot
- Plot serves character revelation
- Internal conflict drives external
- Watch character think

### Real-world stakes
- Mortality, family, identity
- Career, marriage, parenthood
- Loss, legacy, meaning

### Earned catharsis
- Build through restraint
- Pay off in moments, not speeches
- Tears earned, not demanded

## Voice / Style

### Dialogue
- Naturalistic
- Subtext heavy
- Pauses meaningful
- Every line revealing

### Visual
- Often realistic cinematography
- Long takes acceptable
- Faces / closeups important
- Locations as character

### Music
- Often restrained
- Score supports, doesn't lead
- Silence used well
- Source music meaningful

## Sample dramatic scene approach

```
INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT

ELDAR (35) at the table. His FATHER ASIF (62) at the stove,
making tea. Neither speaks for a long beat.

ASIF
You take sugar?

ELDAR
No.

ASIF
You used to take sugar.

ELDAR
I stopped.

Long pause. Asif sets the tea down. Sits.

ASIF
When?

ELDAR
A while.

Pause. They both look at the tea.

ASIF
Your mother used to put a spoonful in mine. Said I was too bitter
without it.

He almost smiles. Doesn't quite.

ELDAR
I remember.

The tea steams between them.
```

This scene has:
- Subtext (years of distance)
- Real character (specifics)
- Restraint (no big speeches)
- Earned emotion (small detail = wave)
- Visual storytelling (steam, looks)

## Common mistakes

- Melodrama (overwrought)
- Speech-y dialogue
- Generic characters
- On-the-nose theme
- Easy resolution
- Manufactured tears
- Saggy pacing without purpose

## Best dramatic films reference

- Manchester by the Sea (grief, family)
- Moonlight (identity, love)
- Past Lives (longing, time)
- The Worst Person in the World (becoming)
- A Separation (moral complexity)
- Roma (memory, class)

## When to write drama

- Character-focused story
- Real-world setting
- Emotional truth central
- Adult audience
- Festival aspirations
- Awards potential

## Combination with other genres

- Drama + Comedy = Dramedy (Lady Bird)
- Drama + Thriller = Drama-thriller (Spotlight)
- Drama + Romance = Romantic drama (Past Lives)
- Drama + Crime = Crime drama (Manchester by Sea has crime element)

Drama can be the "base" with other elements layered.
