The Drama
Review by Ryan Michael Painter
Unfortunately, to really talk about The Drama would require me to essentially spoil the entire film. I’m going to do my best to not reveal too much.
**NOTE: this post may be updated with audio once we actually have the chance to talk about it. Until then, you can read Ryan’s review below. Remember, you can listen to all our discussions of this and every other movie directly over on ACAST. Stay tuned.**
105 Minutes, Rated R
Written and Directed by Kristoffer Borgli
Synopsis:
A happily engaged couple is put to the test when an unexpected turn sends their wedding week off the rails.
The film begins with Charlie, a disheveled British transplant, manufacturing a way to speak to Emma, a stranger reading a book by the window of a coffee shop. It doesn’t go well. Emma, however, suggests that they pretend the awkward exchange didn’t happen and allows Charlie to start again.
While most films would spend the bulk of its narrative on the duo falling in love, The Drama skips ahead to the week of their wedding. This does put the audience at something of a disadvantage in that we’re not given the opportunity to know Emma or Charlie. Flashbacks throughout the film fill in the gaps. When the film’s defining moment occurs, Emma and Charlie are predominantly a mystery.
The inciting moment is something of an empathy test. It will challenge you and your reaction will color the way you react to the rest of the film. Are you sympathetic or more horrified? A bit of both?
I know where I fall in this pie chart and I held that position throughout the film. There will be audience members who react in a radically different way. Some might even find themselves shifting their opinion as the characters’ backstory unfolds. I suspect that is exactly what writer/director Kristoffer Borgli wants. The Drama wants to start passionate conversations and some of those exchanges could get heated. I know that I would fiercely defend my position.
So, The Drama has a solid premise. But is it any good?
Yes. Yes, it is.
I had some issues with the structure of the opening act. Now that I understand where Borgli takes the story, I might feel differently when I watch the film again. I was expecting a radically different trajectory. This isn’t a rom-com. There are moments that could be described as lighthearted. Some could read the second and third acts as darkly comedic. I’d describe it as weighty. The subject matter is heavy.
Most of the lifting falls on Zendaya and Robert Pattinson and the duo, to my eye, do a remarkable job with the material. I do have a few issues with Borgli’s script. There is at least one additional conversation that I feel like would have helped to make sense of a character’s behavior. A little more nuance, particularly with the supporting characters, would have helped as well. Borgli might be pushing the narrative toward satire. I think the film works best when it skews toward realism.
The Drama stars Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Alana Haim, Mamoudou Athie, and Hailey Benton Gates and is in theaters April 3, 2026.
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