Kristoffer Borgli’s latest film, The Drama, is an aptly named story about engaged couple Emma (played by Zendaya) and Charlie (played by Robert Pattinson), whose future together is threatened when the bride-to-be confesses her deepest secret to friends and married couple Mike (played by Mamoudou Athie) and Rachel (played by Alana Haim). What ensues is a nightmare wedding week for the couple and escalating dread for the audience watching it unfold. Making viewers squirm is no surprise for Borgli, who also made ‘Sick of Myself’ and ‘Dream Scenario’. The Trauma Drama is a subversive, off-color romance. It’s also subtly horror with grotesque, sometimes questionable scenes, and jumpy moments.
What’s well done is the film’s ability to create and maintain a mood, albeit an unsettling one. And the intimate conversations that help reveal the characters are engaging. Zendaya and Pattinson do a good job of carrying their characters’ heavy emotional burdens. As the story explores how much relationships, romantic and otherwise, can endure, their reactions seem believable. Their friendships are put to the test as well, by Rachel’s self-centeredness and Mike’s floundering. These characters have dubious likability, which I can appreciate, because at least the effort has been made to explore human nature, and craft full characters, flaws and all. Borgli’s exploration examines the ability to be judgmental and selfish, as well as the capacity to grow, love, and forgive. And it seems to ask if some secrets, some parts of ourselves, are better left undisclosed.
Any redeeming notions are buried in palpable discomfort, though. The Drama is able to ignite visceral response through a rollercoaster of emotional and tonal shifts as Charlie comes to terms with Emma’s past, Emma copes with guilt and tries to keep her life from unraveling, and they both try to endure their ridiculously unhelpful friends. It’s exhausting and unsettling. While some genuine laughs break the tension, there’s still a lingering feeling of just having been trauma-dumped on. Don’t come to The Drama expecting a cozy romance. The film could use a trigger warning for those going in unaware of the subject matter, including gun violence. It didn’t seem truly necessary to tell a peculiar story. But it will likely keep controversy and, well, drama in the discussion of this film.
This film releases April 3rd. I rate it a (2.5/4) 🍿
