'The Drama' review: Dark secrets spark conversation in Robert Pattinson-Zendaya film
MANILA, Philippines — "What is the worst thing you've ever done?"
That is the central question of Kristoffer Borgli's "The Drama," starring Robert Pattinson and Zendaya, the latest offering by A24.
Emma (Zendaya) and Charlie (Pattinson) are about to get married and the film shows how the couple got to that position in two years, starting with an awkward meet-cute in a cafe.
Charlie is struggling to complete his speech on what he adores about Emma, who reflects on having never experienced love until she met Charlie.
The couple meet with their best man Mike (Mamadou Athie) and maid of honor Rachel (Alana Haim), who are married to one another, while sampling food for the reception when the previously mentioned question is brought up at the table.
Talks about getting married continue, until Emma's revealing answer to a question startled them. Without giving anything away, Emma's remark is related to her being deaf in one ear.
A spiralling sequence of events ensues, affecting Charlie, who must now come to terms that he may not know everything about his soon-to-be-spouse.
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No doubt when "The Drama" comes out globally, Emma's secret will scatter and prompt conversations on how to approach the situation.
Borgli, who is the credited writer, attempts to open up the issue by balancing on a knife's edge due to the topic's controversial nature, especially in the United States.
There is much to unpack about this plot point in regard to who Zendaya's character — a Black woman who likely grew up in the South — but the film instead focuses on the reactions to the drunken confession, which gives uncomfortable scenarios of their own.
A very noticeable feature is the numerous jumpcuts Borgli and fellow editor Joshua Raymond Lee use, which add to the film's toe-curling tension, often playing to the strengths of Borgli's screenplay.
Wedding jitters reach a whole new level in the days leading up to the big day, and this is where Pattinson, Zendaya, and most especially Haim, put on an acting masterclass in friction and nerves.
Emma's secret is inexcusable, but "The Drama" wants audiences to consider the lengths one will go through for someone they love, at the expense of ever really knowing who they were and are.
Borgli shelves missed opportunities to draw focus on restlessness from both his characters and viewers, resulting in a catastrophic union between people who against all odds deserve each other.
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