The Drama: Movie Review

"What is the worst thing you've ever done?"

A simple line that carries the full weight of this film’s premise.

If you haven't yet seen the new A24 movie, The Drama, please be advised that this review contains spoilers. I often try to keep my reviews spoiler-free, but the premise of this movie is so incredibly integral to its core that it seems impossible to discuss it, let alone review it, without talking about it.

This is The Drama: Zendaya plays Emma, Robert Pattinson is Charlie. They're a happy couple, a week away from their wedding, having dinner with their best man and maid of honour. A question is asked at dinner. Playful, nosy, a little judgemental. Asked without the faintest idea of what it’s about to unleash.

"What's the worst thing you've ever done?"

The best man goes first. His story is absurd, funny, maybe a little grotesque. Nothing too scandalous.

The maid of honour follows with something far more unsettling, the kind of story that’s hard to sit through, the kind that has Emma and Charlie exchanging quiet, furtive glances.

They brush past it.

Charlie can't think of anything at first. He laughs it off while the others tease him, buying time, searching for something, anything. Then, finally, it clicks: a memory of cyberbullying someone when he was a teenager. He keeps it vague, skimming over the details.

And then last, but certainly not least, it's Emma's turn.

"What is the worst thing you've ever done, Emma?"

She doesn’t have to think about it, you can see that much straight away. It’s right there, ready to be said, but she hesitates. The others nudge her, teasing, brushing it off. It’s not that serious. Come on, just say it.

So she does.

She tells them that, as a teenager, she planned a school shooting. That she never went through with it. And that the only reason she didn’t go through with it is because another shooting happened earlier that day, and stole her thunder.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is when our movie really starts.

If that isn't one of the boldest premises we've seen explored in a movie in many, many years, then I don't know what is. It’s not really a plot twist, despite how some have framed it, but the incident that sets everything in motion. Emma revealing her secret goes on to change everything for the happy couple.

To no one’s surprise, the film has sparked plenty of debate and divided audiences since its release. It’s a dark comedy built around a serious, and (rightfully so) sensitive topic for many viewers, but it’s also sharply written and smartly executed. It's maybe one of the best movies to watch with a group of people, just to argue about the morality of it all once the credits roll.

There are only positives to discuss when it comes to this movie.

The acting is great. Robert Pattinson has already built a career full of strange, memorable characters, but he still manages to make Charlie one of his standout performances. After Emma’s revelation, we don’t just see its impact on their relationship; we watch it completely unravel him. He gradually slips into chaos, struggling to cope with the weight of what he’s just learned about his soon-to-be wife.

Zendaya delivers one of her most nuanced, layered performances and she nails the most important part of the story: she sells it. As an adult, she’s awkward and quite shy, clearly remorseful about what she once planned to do, but in small moments we see glimpses of the teenage Emma who planned it all. It’s a difficult balance to strike from an acting perspective, and she doesn’t miss.

The best part of the movie is, without a doubt, the third act. The entire wedding sequence is anxiety-inducing and captivating; you want to look away because of how stressful it gets, but you can’t tear your eyes away from it.

The movie ends exactly where it wants to be: with the audience still debating it. How far are we willing to forgive and forget for love? How sharply should we be judged by decisions we made as teenagers? What's worse: planning an atrocity and never going through with it, or doing something atrocious in the spur of the moment? How much can a person truly change?

I don't know, but I might rewatch The Drama to find these answers.