It must be a challenge to think you know everything about someone, particularly a loved one, only to discover something pretty major. The Drama functions as a number of things – comedy, romance, psychological thriller – but it also wants to tell a story that balances empathy and morality. Being so straightforward about what it’s doing, minus some clever editing, the movie isn’t designed to leave anyone perplexed so much as to drop a viewer into uneasy territory and have them decide what makes love work. Of course, during this journey, there’s also plenty of opportunities to laugh, comfortably or otherwise.
Robert Pattinson stars as Charlie Thompson. We begin the film with his disastrous attempt to flirt with Zendaya’s Emma. We watch Charlie pretend to be a fan of the book she’s reading, only for him to speak into her deaf ear while she listens to music with the other, leading to an awkward series of events that somehow allows for these two crazy kids to get together anyway. Some time later, the two are engaged and very close to their big day. During a wine tasting, Emma and Charlie are with their friends, Mike (Mamoudou Athie) and Rachel (Alana Haim). Loosened up a little by the drinking involved, the four all reveal something wild that none of the others know. By the time it gets to Emma, she reveals something so insane that it serves as a real game-changer. Not only does this test friendships, but it puts increasing pressure on Charlie, who is already something of a mess.
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The Drama comes from writer/director Kristoffer Borgli, who’s shown in his previous films (Sick of Myself and Dream Scenario) that he’s not afraid to rest a lot of humor on top of the most painfully awkward situations possible. Borgli also knows how well he can take human scenarios such as these and push them into more intense territory, allowing for a visceral thrill that comes from staging certain kinds of scenarios. Having some but not all characters hold on to information can be key to building tension, and this is a film where an explosion of truth really pushes people into hostile territory when it comes to understanding their feelings.
Assembling a story like this also means the actors who are front and center must really have a command of their performances, for something so nuanced and dependent on tonal balance to deliver. Fortunately, everyone is game. In particular, however, I want to spotlight Pattinson, who is terrific in this film. Anyone who’s been paying attention to the British star beyond just his blockbuster turns must have surely noticed how willing he is to lean on a ridiculous side with films like Good Time, The Lighthouse, Damsel, or even Mickey 17. That’s not to say there isn’t dramatic weight involved with those films or his performance, but the guy knows how to push himself in oddball directions.
For this film, Pattinson is constantly wound up with anxiety over how he feels, what he wants to accomplish, and what’s going on around him. Adding the nuclear bomb that is his fiancée’s sudden reveal only escalates the intensity of his behavior. As a result, while there’s a strong human performance focused on a man who is falling apart and questioning the type of person he is, there’s still this other side of it that speaks to just how intensely he feels he loves Emma. That doesn’t mean there is no further escalation to challenge what’s at stake, but the way Pattinson must pull it all off is really affecting to watch.
Similarly, while it’s not as though Zendaya hasn’t been put through her own challenges as an actress, looking at her Emmy-winning performances and work in films like Challengers, she has to balance serious scenarios with a hint of comedy. It’s not as though this is a film with jokes or inherently comedic set pieces, but there’s a timing that needs to truly work to make the nature of what’s being discussed not push in the wrong direction. Yes, I’ve had to be vague on what is actually going on with her past, but the fact that The Drama can skirt a very thin and dangerous line by way of the reactions and the intent makes for a scenario that requires a character to know how to dance on that edge, even while getting enough backstory to add to the topic of conversation.
Tricky areas include making the friends and other characters feel important enough, despite knowing less about them than some key pieces of information. This speaks especially well to Haim’s role, as she’s the most disgusted by what she learns for a particular reason, and it’s all we have to go on. And yet, she still has at least one of the best scenes in the film, given what’s been laid out and how she needs to act in a few key moments. Meanwhile, Athie is putting in a lot to play a chill best friend who’s obviously masking a whole lot of emotions, particularly when it’s time to enact his best man duties, where he must awkwardly shuffle through continued announcements during the wedding, despite some stern looks from various individuals.
Outside of all the immediate occurrences involving the wedding, friends, and others caught up in the mess created by Emma’s reveal, though, there’s also the romance of it all. What sort of limits can be put on love? Watching the leads contend with a bombshell that could mean anything makes for an extreme example of how to zero in on what one is willing to accept in their love if their feelings are indeed true. Of course, this also speaks to the extent to which one is willing to go without sorting out the potential questions that could challenge the relationship in the first place. Whether or not one is redeemable also comes into play, though the balance of power is something these performances can push against, and quite effectively.
Last year, A24 turned The Materialists into one of its biggest hits through a mix of star power and by leaning into certain aspects of the story to sell. Will the bluntness of this disturbed romance be as easy to make into a hit for general audiences? I’m certainly saving the date to find out. Having seen how everything plays out, and given the movie stars involved, there are clearly draws. Being able to handle the nature of what’s being discussed in such a darkly comedic way is key. Because of the writing and deliberate directorial choices as far as how to deal with the information we learn, there’s plenty to latch onto in terms of this film’s take on entertainment value, let alone seeing how far the knife will be twisted before a form of relief comes (if any). I came out with plenty of thoughts on this “happy” couple, which was more than enough to make it an event to remember.
The Drama opens in theaters on April 1, 2026.
