I watched Drop early on at SXSW 2025, and lo and behold, it stayed in my top 3 from this festival. I felt like I was in the thick of this wild date. One where anything that can go wrong goes bizarrely wrong. There is no reason for this situation to ever exist. Yet it does, and it’s hella fun! Christopher Landon, you sneaky devil, you had me. Excited and fraught with nervous energy, I held my breath through the third act and I was entertained!
Single White Female
Drop is directed by Christopher Landon. It follows Meghann Fahy as Violet, a widowed mother who is on her first date with Henry, a charming photographer she met online. At first, Violet is relieved that he is more captivating and handsome than she expected. However, their chemistry quickly wanes as a mysterious series of drops to her phone take a deadly turn. The plot could easily be silly, but Violet is intriguing, and her background adds an extra layer of mystery. Plus, the escalation from playful and benign to violent and preposterous was outstanding, and I couldn’t help but be thrilled.
I don’t know when I became a sucker for white lady thrillers, but here I am. Send me a Nicole Kidman, Kate Siegel, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lawrence, Maika Monroe, Kristen Stewart, a little Glenn Close, and Anne Archer (realistically hundreds more) in peril … and I am living! This is where redundancy may lose you because you are unable to connect to any characters. Realistically, none of this shit would ever happen. There wouldn’t be an available charming, sexy man to find for an educated and sexy woman on the interwebs. Rather, it’s the exhilaration from being caught right up with Violet in this game of life and death that I needed to see to its end.
It’s Not That Deep
Violet and Henry arrive at this gorgeous restaurant with an incredible view. The set is stunning; every moment is presented in the best light. I was excited to see how this could all play out in public in a very open restaurant. Enter an anonymous person to ruin it all. Awkward moment after awkward moment, this date continues. At every decision and every move, anonymous anticipates and stays sharply ahead. The escalation of these drops and the pair’s discomfiting willingness to proceed left me in a permanent state of cringe. Simply, I loved it and begged for more, and it delivered.
Yay or Nay
There were many red herrings to frustrate me in this guessing game. Anonymous is a terrible human being, obviously, but they’re smart and damn good fun. Violet is also a domestic abuse survivor, and she may be nervous for a first date, but she isn’t presented as timid or a damsel needing rescuing. Violet is an educated, confident, strong woman who helps other survivors. She is also funny. Watch out, she’s the whole package. Every nook and cranny of Drop is stirring. I felt exhilaration building in me through every act, and I was speechless at the climax.
Drop is a winner thanks to a brilliant whodunnit mystery and stellar performance from Meghan Fahy. Gabrielle Ryan, give her all the flowers. Admittedly, I rolled my eyes a handful of times. But it couldn’t be avoided no matter how good the action was. I also couldn’t help but love the cheesy moments. It was fun laughing at Henry as he kept going along with the absurdity of everything. Also, he was menacing at key points. Most of all, I cannot believe the nerve of terrorizing this poor woman who just wants to get her groove back.
Drop is set to release on April 11th, and you should definitely catch it on the big screen.
For more festival reviews, please read through our Festival Frights.
