The Drama

Love is not always easy, but it's extremely rare that it should ever be as difficult as it is in A24's The Drama. Starring Robert Pattinson and Zendaya, the film follows a couple about to be married and a newly uncovered secret that threatens to put their marriage at risk before it has even begun.

We begin with a meet-cute, seeing Charlie (Pattinson) approach Emma (Zendaya) at a coffee shop. Her partial deafness leads to an adorable story you'd expect out of an early 2000s romcom, and the first stage of the film takes us through that lovey-dovey aspect of such a relationship. First dates, moving in together, great sex, it's all going about as well as you could expect. Even if you know something's bound to go wrong, it's nice that there's nothing cynical about the love these two characters share. The film asks us to laugh at Charlie and Emma multiple times, but never at the idea they could be in love. These aren't two young idiots blinded by the attraction they feel to one another physically, who were bound to break up at the first sign of any real trouble.

It's best to go into The Drama blind, and so I won't spoil what the central twist is that leads the lives of this couple to be turned upside-down, but it's something that's bound to have you and your own partner discussing whether the characters should or shouldn't have stayed together on the drive home.

The Drama is teeming with water cooler-worthy moments, themes, and characters. It's a really rich text, with enough additional details to fill a dozen "did you spot this?" YouTube Shorts or Reels. I was a particular fan of how Pattinson's hair became floppier as his mental state spiralled. I don't think I'll want to be rewatching it anytime soon, though. The film is brilliantly cringe-inducing, with moments where you either laugh or recoil into your seat like you're a snail returning to its shell, as The Drama brings the secrets of the couple further into public settings, and more people start to know the terrible moment that caused Pattinson and Zendaya to question their lives together.

I really wasn't expecting The Drama to be as intentionally funny as it is. Considering the title and actors involved, I'd expected a film more steeped in, well, drama. However, The Drama is edited and shot so well you can't help but laugh even when you know you shouldn't. There are some cutaways that feel suited to a Family Guy episode at times, and yet they never detract from the film's emotional weight and core. If anything, the comedy only makes it feel more real, like the characters aren't designed for the conflict, and instead exist as actual people, letting us in for a brief glimpse at their lives.

Zendaya and Robert Pattinson do a fantastic job at portraying Emma and Charlie, although I'd particularly like to highlight Zendaya as a stand-out here. Just as she did in Challengers, Zendaya proves that even though she's one of the biggest stars on the planet today, she can be completely believable as someone else. It's part of her job, as an actress, but at times stars grow so great it's impossible to imagine them playing anyone that isn't larger than life. Yet, Emma is a grounded, realistic person, who the film's central conflict relies upon. You may have heard the controversy around some aspects of the movie, which I won't highlight due to spoilers, but even with subject matter that walks a tightrope above a pit of volatility, Zendaya carries the weight of the film like it's an empty sack. Pattinson is a brilliant scatterbrain as Charlie as well, caught far too often in his own overthinking, leading to him creating the worst scenarios he'd dreamed in his head.

The Drama is a phenomenal character-driven piece of film. It's funny, emotional, and brilliantly edited. Perhaps what I liked most about it was the romantic element, though. As I said at the beginning, there's a belief in this movie that love, true love, exists, and that offers a central theme of hope that helps you answer the questions of if people can be redeemed lying at the film's core. I want to love this film wholeheartedly, yet controversy revolving around the director Kristoffer Borgli's relationship with a teenager when he was in his late 20s hampers that, leaving somewhat of a bitter taste in my mouth when I write praising the film so staunchly.