The Gist
An engaged couple find their upcoming wedding in jeopardy after she reveals a dark secret.
The Review
With the myriad of horror and popcorn movies coming out recently cinema audiences haven’t really had to use their brain while watching films… but be warned The Drama is about to change that. This is not just a film that you will want to discuss with others after you have watched this is the kind of film that is going to generate some pretty deep conversations and debates between friends and family.
Written and directed by Kristofer Borgli (Dream Scenario) The Drama centres around two couples. First there is the couple about to be married – art curator Charlie (Robert Pattinson – Twilight) and his fiancée Emma (Zendaya – Spider-Man: No Way Home). Then there are their best friends – best man Mike (Mamoudou Athie – Jurassic World: Dominion) and his partner and maid of honour Rachel (Alana Haim – One Battle After Another).
As Charlie struggles to write his wedding speech he recounts how he and Emma unexpectedly met. It’s a nice story with twists and turns but then comes the big shock.
The two couples met to trial the food that might be served at the wedding. As they eat they begin a game where they are each dared to say out loud what the worst thing they have ever done is. Charlie and Mike’s are mundane but Emma and Rachel’s are horrifying. For some reason though (we’ll discuss that later) Emma’s is the one that everybody concentrates on.
Mike is shocked, Rachel no longer wants to be involved in the wedding while Charlie isn’t sure what to do. He loves Emma but he isn’t sure that he can ever look past her big secret.
You may wonder why I didn’t just say what Emma’s dark secret is. Well, to be honest the best way to view The Drama is to not no. Kristofer Borgli’s screenplay signposts absolutely nothing and when that secret is revealed it hits you like a sledgehammer to the face. That is not exaggeration – in the all years that I have been watching films I don’t think I have heard a collective gasp in a cinema like what I heard when Zendaya delivered the line that revealed all.
That is where I feel this film has a dilemma and probably what you and your family and friends will be discussing after you leave the cinema. In my eyes Emma’s secret is bad – okay it is very bad – but I’m sure a few people walking around on this planet have had the same thoughts, but on the flip side Rachel’s secret is horrific and while nobody in the film says it I think it makes her a little psychopathic.
To me that is the only weakness in this film – why is Emma’s secret end-of-the-world stuff but Rachel’s seems to be swept under the carpet. Still that shouldn’t put anybody off seeing this film because it is brilliant.
Borgli’ screenplay is nothing short of exceptional. This is one of the best scripts we have seen come out of Hollywood for a long, long time. It starts off almost whimsically, it draws its audience in making them believe that it is going to be a smooth, fun romantic drama and then delivers a twist so full on that you will never forget it.
From there that screenplay goes to a whole new level. Very few screenwriters have captured the demise of a relationship with such brutal realism. The scenes of Charlie trying to deal with all of this are confronting. Then there is the suspense and intensity brought in as Emma tries to save the relationship while Charlie searches for answers wherever he can find them.
The film gets even more power from the performances of its leads. Once again Robert Pattinson delivers a sheer brilliant performance. Often people only remember his role as Edward Cullen the sparkly vampire in Twilight but they forget his performances in films like The Lighthouse and Die My Love which show why needs to be considered one of the best character actors in Hollywood at the moment. Here Pattinson has two very black and white sides to his performance – for some of the film he is a romantic, giddy fool in love and the rest of the time he is a torn, distraught man and he delivers on both counts.
Then there is Zendaya who shakes off the Marvel Universe shackles with a performance for the ages. Again, her character has two very distinct sides in the film – the woman in love and then the woman shattered. Like Pattinson she delivers one of the best performances of her career to date.
I feel that I can’t very well talk about the performances in The Drama without also mentioning Alana Haim. Her scenes after Emma’s secret has been revealed are something that will stick with me for a long time. They also reveal that she is a very under-rated actress that hopefully we see more of in bigger roles soon.
The Verdict
The Drama is one of the best films of 2026. Its brilliantly written screenplay should be used as a template of what a character-driven suspense needs to be. Dramatic and tension filled this is a must-see film made even better by the performances of its leads.
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