“Your dreams are about to come true.”
Weddings are, by definition, stressful. And intense. And emotional. Even the happiest of couples fall victim to the heightened emotions as they prepare for their big day. Emma and Charlie couldn’t be more excited for their upcoming nuptials. But with just a week left before they tie the knot, they find themselves suddenly battling for relationship survival as they work to answer one question: What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?
The question, simple in context, loaded with meaning, opens the door to a moment of mass vulnerability. As heightened anxiety, restlessness, and, you guessed it, drama set in, a young couple is put to the ultimate test in Kristoffer Borgli’s The Drama.
Robert Pattinson and Zendaya star as Charlie and Emma, a young, soft, comfortably engaged couple who reside in the heart of Boston. He’s a museum curator while she works as a literary editor. Though told through a series of flashbacks, we slowly see how their relationship began, with scenes from the present day filling in the details regarding their unique personalities. But everything is upended when Emma answers the daring question, revealing a dark secret from her past.
The confession is shocking. It is undoubtedly meant to be so. But it travels beyond familiar boundaries, generating a moment of discomfort as Borgli unleashes a dose of social commentary that, for many, feels inappropriate and absurdly confrontational.
The secret visible shakes Charlie. Attempting to process the information, he longs for a sense of structure to the newly minted chaos that has become his life. It messes with his work and affects his friendships. But even as he spirals out, he begs for a way to explain it all. An understanding to not thwart the love he has for his person.
While marketed as a romantic comedy, The Drama is anything but. Though the underbelly of the premise dives into the appropriately conceived concept of how well you ever truly know someone, writer-director Borgli misstepped badly, confusing shock with depth as he works to jolt the nervous system with controversy rather than curate characters with intellect.
Pattinson and Zendaya lack emotional chemistry as they navigate a relationship that feels more contrived than sincere. The cliff notes showcase the progression, but they are told through the lens of peak positive moments as they both work to write the speech they’ll give at the reception. Up until the pink wine starts flowing during a presumed revisit to the wedding caterer, we never see a moment of duress as the couple walks a fairy straight line from their initial meet-cute moment at a coffee shop.
It’s interesting that a film, intended to dissect how well our characters know one another, forces viewers to question how well they know the characters.
Visually, the film struggles to find its angle. Literally. Attempting to be unique, Borgli labors to maintain focus, jumping between harsh cuts as he works the camera, with little effect. And it’s a shame. The set design showcases some truly picturesque set pieces that, unfortunately, become lost in the absurdity of the whole thing.
This is ultimately what happens to the entire film. Though it approaches big ideas, it never knows how to fully deal with them. And while it successfully makes you uncomfortable, there is never a sense of relief to that uneasiness. Shock or not, The Drama leans too hard into its potential controversy. And while Woody Allen’s influence is hard to ignore, Borgli is a bit too self-consumed, giving us a film that is pretentious, overblown, and sadly unnecessary.
