Film Reviews

April 3, 2026

The idea that a movie's trailer shouldn't give away too much about the plot has become an exception more than a rule, and this over-divulgence isn't anything new—as early as 2000 (likely earlier), trailers have been revealing too many crucial details about a movie's narrative, robbing the finished product of tension and surprise (oddly enough, the two 2000 films I'm thinking about are both by Robert Zemeckis: "What Lies Beneath" and "Cast Away"). That's why it was so refreshing when the trailer for "The Drama" dropped. It said all it needed to, which was little, to spark audience intrigue, and fortunately, the film not only capitalizes on that initial arousal but also lives up to its own title.

There will be no spoilers in this review. What I can tell you is that the story follows two thirtysomethings, Emma (Zendaya) and Charlie (Robert Pattinson), whose typical yet perfectly believable meet-cute at a cafe opens the film, which is also when Emma reveals she has a physical impairment. Flashforward a couple years, and the two are planning their wedding, which will mostly be a nominal affair since the two already live together in their chic, well-furnished apartment in Boston, and I must say, for a literary editor and museum curator, respectively, Emma and Charlie seem to be doing quite well for themselves financially.

Despite the usual stress that accompanies planning a wedding, Emma and Charlie manage to keep their love intact, relying on their friends as sounding boards as they write their wedding speeches. Charlie recites his back to his college friend and best man, Mike (Mamoudou Athie), who's married to Emma's maid of honor, Rachel (Alana Haim). Everything appears to be going smoothly enough leading up to the big day: the couple's dance rehearsal; the guest list; securing the venue; making the final decision about the menu, etc. And then...well, just as the trailer leads us to believe, something isn't right. In other words, there's drama.

If you're like me, you're probably thinking there could be a whole host of issues that could suddenly disrupt Emma and Charlie's would-be wedded bliss: adultery, murder, death, perhaps the suggestion of a ménage à trois, or maybe a "Crying Game"-like twist? You name it. Your best bet is to not read up on any details and simply let the movie's drama fall on you and take you on the same mental spin as its players.

What gives the movie weight and what makes it so engaging is that writer-director Kristoffer Borgli skillfully and deliberately balances drama, humor, sadness, and violence while maintaining respect for the gravity of the topic at hand, which understandably upends the characters' lives. Borgli and his co-editor, Joshua Raymond Lee, present an increasingly fraught and sometimes physically threatening situation as the schism between Emma and Charlie grows wider and deeper. As Charlie becomes consumed by the news he's learned, Emma becomes more despondent, and our hearts break for them. All the while, we're wondering what we would do if we were in their shoes.

To be fair, Borgli comes close to pushing this mostly grounded story over-the-top, and part of us questions if we should even be laughing at some of its more outrageous developments, not least because they seem melodramatic, desperate, and out of place in an otherwise plausible story. Perhaps Borgli wanted to demystify the notion that no subject is off the table when it comes to entertainment. Nevertheless, the performances, especially by Pattinson, who makes his character simultaneously sympathetic and pathetic, keep the movie credible. Plus, through all of the hijinks that ensue, including one involving Charlie’s co-worker (Hailey Gates), we truly wonder how the multiple threads are going to come to a head.

The movie also doesn't ask us to side with any particular character. In fact, it's not preoccupied with finding a solution to Emma and Charlie's dilemma, only that there is a dilemma, one that is messy and needs to be dealt with. At its core, it depicts our impatience to properly process seemingly disgraceful news about someone we otherwise hold in high regard and the human tendency to jump to conclusions, to flood said person with follow-up questions, and to marinate, wallow, and imagine the worst possible outcome instead of remaining objective and recognizing that the person is still the same, only now we know something more about them.

What I appreciated most about "The Drama" is that it spurs the audience to ask questions. Is it OK that we laugh at the events that arise? What position does the movie take on the situation it deconstructs? What would we do if we learned the same news about our partners or friends? Would we have it in us to forgive and understand? If we were put on the spot to reveal our innermost secrets, would we lie? Would we hold others in contempt about their past even if they were honest?

These prompts propel the movie, and in combination with Daniel Pemberton's unremitting, often haunting and deliberately vexing score, with its heavy use of airy flutes, the movie feels like an episode "White Lotus," which is complement, because love it or hate it, it's ceaselessly watchable. And we accept and bask in what the movie makes it clear: there is no right or wrong answer to either the above or other questions, and that uncertainty is part of the drama of being human.