The course of true love never did run smooth... NB: This review does not contain any spoilers. The Drama’s ‘twist’ deserves its secrecy. If you’ve seen it or are aware of the central revelation, behave accordingly.
Are you in a relationship?
If so, good for you. We can carry on playing.
If not, just picture you’re about to marry Zendaya and we can keep going regardless.
Now, answer this next one: Is there anything your partner could reveal that would shake the foundations of your couple and possibly prevent you from wanting to spend the rest of your life with them?
On average, the answer is likely to be infidelity. But for Charlie (Robert Pattinson), his soon-to-be wife Emma (Zendaya) hits him with something darker.
A few days before their wedding, the blissfully happy couple meet up with their married friends Rachel (Alana Haim) and Mike (Mamoudou Athie) for a boozy wedding menu tasting, during which they play a game of ‘What’s The Worst Thing You’ve Ever Done?’.
Everyone shares their darkest secrets. When it comes to Emma’s turn, she drops a bombshell that not only ruins the evening but seriously threatens to derail the upcoming nuptials.
Final question: Is radical acceptance required for love to be unconditional?
Accepted wisdom states that secrecy can be the enemy of intimacy, and that all healthy relationships are built on a foundation of honesty.
“Honesty is the best policy,” as Benjamin Franklin once said.
Then again, what did that philosophising founding father know?
Norwegian writer-director Kristoffer Borgli’s dark romcom The Drama questions that olde American chestnut, initially showing that brutal honesty can be overrated through questioning whether couples actually want to know everything about each other.
Charlie probably didn’t. The mild mannered and bespectacled Brit is an museum curator who got his straight-out-of-the-movies meet-cute in the US when he met Emma in a coffee shop. Since then, it’s been clear that the “weird little British freak” and the instigator of “intense butterflies” are a perfect match.
The impact of Emma’s revelation shatters this picture-perfect relationship. The revelation is so devastating that Charlie starts to see it everywhere in his daily life. Worse, his fond memories of his soulmate begin to be retroactively interrogated and tainted.
They talk about it. They try to make it work. But some bells can't be unrung.
It would be easy to wish their downfall. After all, they’re two middle-class Massachusetts trendies who drink natural wine and quote Louis Malle in their distractingly impressive apartment which doesn’t seem quite within the means afforded by their vague jobs. But the central performances are top-notch, with Pattinson and Zendaya making you care about this couple. A special shout out must also go to Alana Haim, who is pitch perfect as their moralistic friend Rachel. She continues to prove that she belongs on the big screen just as much as she does in huge concert venues.
Beyond the performances, what makes The Drama work is that Borgli doesn’t coast on his big reveal.
What initially appears to be a prickly anti-romcom evolves into something knottier. While the well-calibrated script will make you laugh, feel bad for laughing, then laugh all over again, the butt-clenching humour leads The Drama to sly satire.
Everything from wedding culture, couple performativity and judgement sclerosis get skewered, as well as REDACTED. However, Borgli isn’t interested in grappling with this central issue. Through the character of Charlie, the director acknowledges his own status as European outsider and understands that to interrogate REDACTED further would make him stumble into sanctimony. Instead, he uses it as a means to impale our lofty ideals and comforts, as well as to spark conversation around broader questions.
Is full transparency a true marker of intimacy? Is intent as equally condemnable as action? How much are we willing to accept the darkness that exists within all of us? Does the passing of time erase trauma? And similar to Borgli’s previous works (macabre influencer comedy Sick Of Myself and cancel culture satire Dream Scenario), what are the limits of our empathy?
All avenues which can lead to much discomfort – and have.
Prior to the film’s release, some publications reported how The Drama ’s central revelation led to real-life backlash, as Emma’s too-close-to-home admission caused some Americans to question whether the casting of Zendaya could normalise or even humanise REDACTED.
Without trying to belittle the pain and heartbreak inherent to a pervasive issue, the film doesn’t pretend to wish to contend with something that some societies still refuse to properly address. To dismiss The Drama for failing to interrogate its revelation further is to miss the point; and ironically, serves to mirror how the issue is already normalised in the US.
The Drama will be challenging for some viewers, but isn’t that the mark of a good film?
One thing is for sure: it is this year’s ideal (and darkest) date night movie - one you’ll want to discuss with everyone who has seen it.
Oh, and if you are thinking of playing ‘What’s the Worst Thing You’ve Ever Done?’ with your other half, make sure it’s just the two of you in the room. And maybe – just maybe – don't do it a few days before you emotionally and legally commit to sharing the rest of your life with each other. Some revelations need time. Or not.
The Drama is out in cinemas now.
