Reel Review: The Drama’s Shocking Twist Explores if There Are Limits to Love
Image via A24
Content Warning: This article discusses sensitive subject matter that might affect readers. This article also contains spoilers for The Drama.
A24’s newest film, The Drama, is by no means a conventional romantic comedy. The marketing for the dark comedy definitely framed it as a romance, but it was clear there would be a shocking twist that would derail Charlie (Robert Pattinson) and Emma’s (Zendaya) wedding week. The story explores second chances and whether love can truly be unconditional.
Days before their fairytale wedding, Charlie and Emma are celebrating their nuptials with their best man and matron of honor, Mike (Mamoudou Athie) and Rachel (Alana Haim). Rachel proposes a horrible suggestion: for everyone to reveal the worst thing they’ve ever done. Seriously, did she want to ruin the night? Everyone tells their awkward stories over several glasses of wine. When Emma’s turn comes around to reveal what she’s done, she drunkenly reveals that she planned to commit a mass shooting at her high school when she was fifteen years old.
While the trailers clearly revealed that Emma had done something utterly horrible, I doubt many people expected the story to go that far. Gun violence in the United States, especially surrounding school shootings, has sadly become a normal occurrence, so the revelation leaves you disturbed as you watch the story unfold. However, Emma shows complete remorse for her past and explains that she was lonely, bullied and misguided. The young teen thankfully didn’t go through with the act and even joined a gun violence activist club at her school, where she finds friends and leaves the dark ideation behind.
The film primarily follows Charlie’s experience of grappling with his fiancée’s shocking past. Pattinson does a great job of playing the charming, bumbling romantic male lead that viewers have come to expect in romantic comedies, but his descent into madness shows off the actor’s range. From the start, Emma is gentle and empathetic, which only makes the twist even more jarring. Zendaya’s portrayal of the character’s overwhelming guilt and empathy made her a captivating lead.
Athie and Haim’s roles as the best man and matron of honor fuel viewers’ pure anxiety, especially Haim’s character. Rachel instantly resents Emma for her past actions, as she has a personal connection to a school shooting that left her cousin in a wheelchair. Nevertheless, Rachel attends the wedding and is seething at Emma, causing audiences to squirm from discomfort during her speech.
As stated earlier, this story is not a romantic comedy but rather a think piece on whether there are limits to love. Emma’s past leaves her inner circle questioning the person they knew, and you witness the effects of gun violence in America. The Drama has already sparked debates online about whether the story goes too far. If you’re going into the movie expecting the next classic rom-com to turn on after a breakup, think again. While the story does a wonderful job of emulating the aesthetics of a classic romantic comedy, this film is sure to warrant deeper conversations as you leave the theater.
Zendaya and Pattinson’s chemistry together is the star of the show, fueling our excitement to see them star in two more films together this year! The two will star in Dune: Part Three and The Odyssey later this year. We’ll also get to see Zendaya and her rumored real-life husband, Tom Holland, star in Spider-Man: Brand New Day this July. We’re truly in the year of Zendaya!
Let us know what you think of The Drama on @reeltalkandreviews on Instagram. The Drama is now playing in theaters.
