*SPOILER WARNING*
“The Drama,” a new film directed by Kristoffer Borgli and produced by A24, was released on Friday, April 3. With stars Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, it was bound to turn some heads. And indeed, it did. The movie left me so stunned; I have already seen it again to fully take it all in.
The movie is about how Charlie (Pattinson) and Emma (Zendaya) are soon to be wed. During the final days before the wedding, the couple get together with the maid of honor Rachel (Alana Haim) and the best man Mike (Mamoudou Athie). They all spill the “worst thing they’ve ever done,” and Emma’s reveal changes the trajectory of the happy couple’s relationship.
As a close fan of both Zendaya and Pattinson, I was already going to be seated. However, the marketing for the movie is what really made this release highly anticipated for me. One of the first things the marketing team did was put Charlie and Emma’s wedding announcement in newspapers. It gave us background information on the characters, such as their occupations, ages and many cute couple photos.
Some other marketing pieces were wedding cake toppers, a Las Vegas wedding chapel, a wedding newsletter and even a Vogue Weddings magazine shoot.
Zendaya and Pattinson’s on-screen chemistry is amazing. Before things go downhill, they really fit the image of a happy and honorable couple. And even when things start to deteriorate, they still bounce off each other really nicely as actors.
The editing and pacing of the movie were quite enjoyable. We get right into things very quickly, but it doesn’t feel rushed. This also adds to the whole movie’s sense of panic as well.
The worst thing Emma had ever done was, unfortunately, plan a school shooting. However, it never went into action. Nonetheless, with a topic this controversial, this movie, obviously, does not sit well with some audiences.
The “March for Our Lives” Instagram account called out the movie for its marketing as a “rom-com” and lack of trigger warnings. The movie, however, is R-rated and always has been. Despite this, again, the topic is very tricky, and people are entitled to be upset and decide if the movie isn’t for them.
The whole movie explores a moral dilemma and is an anxiety attack waiting to ensue. When sharing the worst things they have ever done, one can argue that Rachel’s was the worst. She locked a kid in a closet and didn’t admit to it, which resulted in a search party for the kid. Charlie mentions that he cyberbullied someone at age 14, to which Mike says doesn’t count because his brain was barely developed. I found it compelling that when Emma shared her secret, even though she did not actually do anything, and was 15, she was not given the same grace. Rachel immediately attacked her, bringing up her cousin, Sam, in the conversation by mentioning she was disabled due to a mass shooting.
I believe Rachel was meant to represent most of us today or a variation of cancel culture in general. She was quick to blow Emma off completely despite being the maid of honor, having done a crude act herself and being the one to suggesting that everyone share the worst thing they did.
Something else I perceived was that the whole film was Charlie’s true “worst thing I’ve ever done.” He slowly lets the idea of Emma being a different person ruin their relationship, overthinking everything she has ever done and being afraid of her. Worst of all, he cheats on her with his co-worker.
“The Drama” had my heart thumping at every second. By the end of the movie, I laughed, cried and even got nauseous at times. It is certainly a movie you should give a chance to even though it may sound insane. Zendaya and Pattinson put on some of the best performances of their careers, and I am looking forward to having this duo in more projects this year.
