By: Kimberly Grant

Every wedding has drama.  Some have a little drama.  Some have big drama.  But, drama nonetheless.  In a new film, The Drama, writer/director Kristoffer Borgli explores what happens when one moment of life can alter a couple’s perception of bliss.

The Thing

Emma (played by Zendaya) and Charlie (Robert Pattinson) start the week before their wedding in bliss.  They are enjoying the glow of impending wedded bliss and their friends are getting a contact high.  Then, one night, Emma and Charlie are having dinner with their friends, Mike (Mamoudou Athie) and Rachel (Alana Haim).  They get to talking about their lives and make the mistake of discussing the worst things they’ve ever done.  As an audience member, I can already tell this will be a recipe for disaster, especially since there’s alcohol in the mix.

Each character shares their shameful secret, including Emma.  I won’t tell you what Emma’s secret is, but her admission sets off a chain of events that leads to Charlie questioning who he’s actually going to marry.  This admission makes him see the love of his life in a totally new light, while forcing him to confront parts of himself that have been floating in his subconscious. 

This thing, the bad thing that Emma did, also allows for Borgli to make a commentary on gun violence in American culture.  So much so, that the film makes subtle nods to gun violence and we the audience are so desensitized to it, that we don’t even notice right away.  That’s the minor point.  The major point is that little lies can destroy a great relationship if it’s not on a solid foundation.

The Execution

Borgli beautifully weaves The Drama as a linear story told in the past and the present.  He taps into our emotions regarding current events and makes the audience look inward.  How would you react to a beloved partner when they told you their deepest secret of shame?  When would you confide your deepest, darkest secret to your loved one?  Would it be before marriage?  Would it be after marriage?  Would it be on the fifth date?

This examination of secrets (the ones we tell our loved ones and the ones we don’t) in a relationship can definitely make or break it.  So, the main premise of The Drama really becomes: Is this revealed secret going to break Emma and Charlie?  Or will they be stronger than ever?

The Talent

Zendaya, who has consistently proven to be more and more talented, is effortlessly gifted in this role.  Emma starts the movie as someone who seems easy to love with an odd sense of humor.  Once she starts to peel back the layers of herself, you see that she’s flawed, yet still lovable.  Pattinson’s Charlie seems like the creep of this couple, at first.  You almost wonder what Emma sees in him.  As Charlie’s layers are peeled back, you see that he’s flawed, yet still lovable, as well. 

Haim’s Rachel is actually the most annoying character in this film.  She represents the one in all friend groups that instigates a situation (read: makes a bad situation worse).  If Borgli meant for Rachel to be a sanctimonious frenemy, then Haim plays her part well.  Athie’s Mike is the Everyman, who’s just a good guy friend.  He also centers all the characters, echoing what we the audience want to yell at the screen.  Lastly, Jordyn Curet as Young Emma is chillingly good.  Her role helps support our ideas of who Emma was and is currently.  Again, both deserve love.

It is my opinion, from the outside looking in, that if your relationship can withstand seeing the darkest parts of each other, then your union will be built on a solid foundation.  That said, The Drama is a solid movie and you should definitely go see it.

You can read more reviews written by K. A. Grant here.