A24’s new romantic comedy, “The Drama,” did not disappoint on its April release date. Not only does it have two of my favorite actors, Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, but the trailer’s cliffhanger left me wanting more. On the night before their wedding, at a fun dinner with their maid of honor and best man, Emma (Zendaya) and Charlie (Pattinson) admit the worst things they’ve ever done. While the prompt was supposed to be a playful bonding moment, Emma’s confession leaves the room silent and an unexpected ominous tone for the film. From that moment, I knew I had to see this movie, and couldn’t wait to uncover her dark secret. Excellent marketing is nothing new for A24, with its recent movies like “Marty Supreme” and “The Moment” having huge celebrity features and creative press-runs. But, did “The Drama” live up to what it was marketed to be?
The film starts in a coffee shop, where the couple’s initial “meet cute” takes place. Charlie decides to approach Emma, but when he tries to get her attention she ignores him. He tries again and she turns around and says that she’s deaf in her right ear. Emma then says, “Should we start again?”
The two start talking, eventually falling in love and getting engaged, and we’re right back where the trailer left us: the dinner table. When this scene began, I realized the secret I had been waiting for was about to come to light. Emma shares that when she was in high school and deeply depressed, she planned a school shooting. She had not just thought about it– she had a plan. She acquired a gun and brought it to school. She wrote a note and made a video explaining why she did what she did. I had been guessing what the secret was for weeks and this never even occurred to me as a possibility. Everyone at the table thinks Emma is joking, but then realizes she is not. Things get heated very quickly, and the night comes to an abrupt end.
The next morning, Emma wakes up alone. Then, the camera cuts to Charlie contemplating his marriage with his best man. Emma starts freaking out, unable to find her fiancé and worried how everyone will view her now.
Charlie’s character is very well done. Since he’s played by Pattinson, a British actor, Charlie is also assumed to have grown up in England. This represents the fact that people in England did not grow up with the thought of school shootings, which makes Emma’s confession that more jarring for him. Charlie is also known to hyperfixate on everything. One of the best parts of this movie was when Charlie would look at Emma, he got visions of her as a teenager. It was a cool element to add because as a viewer, I could feel Charlie’s hesitation about getting married and his completely new view of Emma.
The movie also does a great job of implementing some lighter moments, and the awkward humor adds comedic relief during stressful parts of the movie. This is especially exhibited during the wedding photoshoot run-through, when the photographer kept talking about how she will “shoot” all of their family member’s photos. Given the circumstances, the ironic word choice added to the character’s discomfort and the audience’s entertainment.
The whole time I was watching, I was wondering what I would do in either Charlie’s or Emma’s shoes. I could not even fathom either position. Emma feels she has moved on and is a better person, so she does not understand why Charlie would be so terrified by her. Charlie is scared because how could someone ever even make a plan to do something so terrible? Charlie decides to go through with the wedding, but somehow the reception night is even more chaotic than the scenes before it, from drunken speeches to affairs to spilled secrets. The dinner ends in a pool of blood.
I had many predictions on what this movie was going to be like, and it was nothing like I anticipated. So, in my mind, this movie succeeded because not only did it keep me interested during my viewing experience, it lingered in my mind afterwards. I would recommend this movie if you enjoy watching modern, dark romantic movies and not just fluffy rom-coms.
Rating: 4/5.
