A24’s newest highly anticipated film, “The Drama,” released last Friday, April 3, stunning audiences who watched it on opening day. It stars Zendaya and Robert Pattinson as Emma and Charlie, respectively, an engaged couple preparing for their wedding day.
If you’re like me, you don’t need any more motivation to go see the movie beyond the aforementioned actors. However, if you require a bit more information, keep reading.
As Emma and Charlie are having dinner with married friends Mike (Mamoudou Athie) and Rachel (Alana Haim), they are pulled into a seemingly harmless icebreaker-type game of “What’s the Worst Thing You’ve Ever Done?” A surprising and disturbing revelation is made during the course of the conversation that spirals out of control for the rest of the film. With this new information regarding his or her partner, the other must decide what it means for their relationship, especially with their wedding on the horizon.
The film uses a lot of dark humor as it reckons with the secret past of one of its main characters, and you are almost guaranteed to laugh at moments you thought could never make you laugh. The fast pace and quick cuts lead to surprising juxtapositions and highlight the absurdity of the film. Paired with this absurdity, though, is also the intense realism of the characters due to the talent of Zendaya and Pattinson and the quality of the writing.
Without spoiling the secret itself, I will say that the subject matter of it has been highly controversial online, with some people condemning the film based on their interpretation of its message. Personally, while I understand the sensitivity of the topic, I don’t believe the film was trying to push any harmful agenda. In fact, I think the secret, though shocking and thought-provoking, isn’t really the heart of the movie in general.
After the secret is revealed, the central question of the film becomes clear: what is the line you won’t cross when it comes to devotion to your partner?
As the character (either Emma or Charlie, I won’t spoil which) wrestles with this question, so too does the audience. Because of this, the “secret” can become anything in the viewer’s mind; they are invited to explore what that aforementioned moral line would be for themselves, regardless of what it is (or isn’t) in the film.
While the allure of the revelation is sure to draw in audiences, I implore any potential viewers to think beyond the surface of the film. The secret does provoke conversation about a highly specific topic that doesn’t get talked about much, which is definitely interesting to see represented on screen, but it isn’t the only thing to walk away from the film with.
Those who focus solely on one element of the film and create assumptions about its intentions will likely only end up participating in the backlash. I’ll reiterate that the nature of the film will surely not be for everyone, and my sympathy goes out to the people who feel hurt by it for any reason.
But for those who are able to see the film for what it is as a whole, I hope you enjoy it as much as my fellow theater-goers and I did.
Junior Emily Myers is a Copy Editor. Her email is emyers3@fandm.edu.