“The Drama” opened on April 3, recouping its $28 million budget in under 48 hours. Starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson as a couple preparing for their upcoming wedding, this movie takes its audience through an unimaginable series of twists and turns.
Zendaya and Pattinson both deliver incredible performances that keep the audience on their toes, while director Kristoffer Borgli’s creative vision and editing make for a theater experience filled with laughter, gasps and shock.
The movie follows the love life of Emma (Zendaya) and Charlie (Pattinson), from the awkward first impressions Charlie made on Emma at a cafe to the events leading up to their wedding. Everything is seemingly perfect: Charlie is an awkward, sweet museum curator, and Emma is an empathetic, funny editor in publishing—and somehow, they can afford the most breathtaking studio apartment ever. Although the movie opens with a cliché meet-cute moment, it is important to note that “The Drama” is definitely not your typical rom-com.
During a last-minute menu sampling with Charlie’s friend Mike (Mamoudou Athie) and his wife Rachel (Alana Haim), the dreamy first moments are interrupted by an innocent question: “What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?” They go around the table, accompanying each downplayed blunder with clinking glasses and chuckles, until they wrap around to Emma, who blurts out an unforgivable idea she came close to executing, shifting the mood of the entire table. The game invariably changes the relationship between the group, and a disturbed Charlie begins to spiral out of control, leading to a series of unexpected events culminating on their wedding.
“The Drama” is meant to make viewers uncomfortable. Following its release, many have critiqued its marketing for never mentioning the big reveal, since many viewers have reported negative, triggering reactions to the film in the absence of a content warning and had to walk out halfway, according to The Guardian.
However, art is meant to spark an emotional reaction from its viewers, whether good or bad. Honestly, “The Drama” is lacking in quite the opposite. It poses a rather shallow critique of the shockingly dark themes it tries to propose on screen, making Emma’s crime feel like it was only brought up for shock factor. The movie focuses mainly on Charlie’s (often darkly comedic) reaction towards Emma’s confession, rather than on Emma’s intentions herself, leaving her in the background.
While we would like a deeper dive into Emma’s intentions, “The Drama” strays from the themes of Emma’s controversial confession and focuses on relationship dynamics. Every character in “The Drama” is far from perfect, but nobody is completely in the wrong. Borgli wants to ask the audience just how much they are willing to forgive their partners’ flaws, as this movie is about second chances.
Ultimately, “The Drama” poses an important commentary on how far we would bend our morals for the people we love. We would have loved to see more of Emma’s character development, which is not as deeply explored as Charlie’s. Nonetheless, the movie still initiates interesting conversations, so it’s definitely worth watching.
So, watch “The Drama” in a packed theater with a few friends and a bucket of popcorn to accompany the gasps of the audience as you all watch the chaos unfold. The heated discourse on Film Twitter and Reddit is awaiting your opinion.
