Portfolio Genre 1: Drama

 Drama is a genre associated with works that are often more narratively serious in tone. The use of "drama" is very loose when defining films. Letterboxd, a site/app that allows you to review most feature films, lists 1,155,806 films within its database. A little over a fifth are classified as dramas, far greater than the sum of any other genre.

Dramas often appeal to those older in age, some studies suggesting adults over 40 seem most compelled by thought provoking dramas. Dramas are often intended to be socially relevant in nature, touching on topics such as widespread depression and loneliness in Joachim Trier's films "The Worst Person In the World" and "Sentimental Value," parenthood within Guillermo Del Toro's "Frankenstein," or more extreme and specific examples such as totalitarian regimes in Alfonso Cuaron's "Children of Men." 

When marketing drama films, studios often rely on other genres present within the film. NEON's marketing for their 2025 features is a great example. While The Secret Agent, It Was Just an Accident, and Sirat are all dramas, they also feature thriller elements, with the latter two incorporating themes of opposition to oppressive governments. While promoting these, NEON presents all 3 as tense, edge of your seat thrillers, when The Secret Agent and It Was Just an Accident are different in nature, although Sirat is in a way that type of thriller, although much more dramatic in nature. NEON however was stuck with one film to promote that is entirely a drama in Sentimental Value. When promoting it, NEON first utilizes recognition of its three biggest stars: Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgard, and Elle Fanning. The next major attempt to advertise is by using the director's previous work to appeal to existing audiences. Lastly, the marketing places Sentimental Value's topics of loneliness and familial relations front and center to interest those who might like that sort of topic.

 To better focus on scenes, dramas are often slower paced, involving less editing. They often hinge mostly on a compelling narrative and complex characters. Many dramas do not follow these conventions though, such as Marty Supreme. Marty Supreme moves at a breakneck pace with one lead revolving around multiple characters who can be described as shallow, which is intentional to place the viewer in the protagonist's perspective. Marty Supreme's role as a drama is even contrasting to the idea of being more serious with nature, with it being very comedic in many points, although it does have moments following the genre's commonalities.