“The Drama” is a film that will make you squirm in your seat and then immediately want to argue about it afterward.
Written and directed by Kristoffer Borgli, the story follows happily engaged couple Emma (Zendaya) and Charlie (Robert Pattinson), whose wedding week completely derails after a pretty shocking confession comes out of nowhere. From there, it turns into less of a romantic wedding movie and more of a slow, uncomfortable dissection of trust and love, making you question just how well you can ever really know the person you’re about to spend your life with.
Calling this a comedy is one of the most dishonest things the studio’s marketing department has ever done. There are maybe a few awkward, absurd moments, but overall this film is tense, uncomfortable, and at straight-up unsettling. It leans way more into emotional breakdown and psychological discomfort than anything resembling humor. It certainly is thought-provoking, however.
The movie digs into some heavy questions that are bound to spark discussion Are people defined by their worst moments? Can someone actually be forgiven if they’re genuinely remorseful? And how much damage is too much, even if the intent wasn’t malicious? It really puts the audience in an uncomfortable position of having to weigh those questions without giving easy answers. It’s also a topic (that I won’t mention in this review in order to refrain from spoilers) that will likely elicit different opinions between older and younger generations.
There’s also this constant sense of unease as the film peels back the idea of what constitutes a “perfect relationship.” It plays on that fear that you might never fully know your partner, and that one buried truth can completely shatter everything you thought was solid. The whole film feels like watching trust slowly collapse in real time, and it’s highly disturbing.
Despite doing so much right, Borgli’s storytelling feels a tad empty by the end. He brings up all these big ideas like unconditional love, moral gray areas, even a nod to Sigmund Freud’s idea that buried emotions eventually come out in uglier ways. but doesn’t fully land on anything concrete. He seems to be more interested in making you uncomfortable than actually saying something definitive, which is disappointing.
“The Drama” is messy, uncomfortable, and definitely not for everyone, but you have to admire how it pokes at things most films would rather avoid. You might not love it and you might even be frustrated by it, but you’ll definitely want to talk about it.
By: Louisa Moore
Screen Zealots 