Norwegian film The Drama starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson about a couple’s wedding crisis after a shocking confession
Consensus Summary
The Drama is a Norwegian-American film directed by Kristoffer Borgli that follows a seemingly perfect couple, Emma and Charlie, played by Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, whose relationship collapses after Emma confesses she once planned a high-school shooting as a teenager. The film blends romantic comedy tropes with dark psychological thriller elements, exploring themes of trust, secrecy, and societal judgment. Both articles agree on the central plot points, including the ‘worst thing you’ve ever done’ game that triggers the crisis, but differ in their tone and analysis. The Guardian frames it as a cynical satire of American bourgeois life, while ABC emphasizes its unsettling, unpredictable nature and cultural commentary on media literacy and personal branding. The film’s ending is a point of divergence, with the Guardian criticizing it as weak, while ABC finds it surprisingly empathetic.
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Key details reported by multiple sources:
- The film is directed by Norwegian director Kristoffer Borgli
- Zendaya plays Emma, a deaf woman in one ear, and Robert Pattinson plays Charlie, an art historian
- The couple’s relationship unravels after Emma reveals she planned a high-school shooting as a 14-year-old but never carried it out
- The film’s title is The Drama and it was released in April 2024
- The film is distributed by A24 and stars Alana Haim as Rachel and Mamoudou Athie as Mike
- The film’s premise involves a ‘worst thing you’ve ever done’ game at a wedding-related event
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- The film is described as a ‘Euro-satire of American bourgeois aspiration’ inspired by Ruben Östlund’s Force Majeure and Thomas Vinterberg’s Festen
- Emma’s partial deafness was caused by holding her father’s assault rifle too close to her ear while practicing shooting
- The film’s ending is criticized for losing its nerve slightly, offering a ‘cheesy’ resolution
- The film’s sound design and score are described as ‘weird, eerie’ with dissonant woodwind figures
- Emma’s flashback is played by Jordyn Curet as a 14-year-old
- The film is compared to Bret Easton Ellis’ writing style and Louis Malle’s Lacombe, Lucien
- The film’s tone is described as a ‘mashup of two American phenomena: the Hollywood marriage comedy and the high-school shooting’
- The film is described as a ‘rollercoaster emotional twists’ thriller reminiscent of 80s/90s Hollywood dramas
- The film’s taboo revelation is framed as a ‘cultural can of worms’ in an era of low media literacy
- The film’s score is described as ‘psycho-drama’ with a ‘hallucinatory’ editing style
- The film’s ending is called ‘unusually cheesy’ and ‘oddly empathetic’
- The film’s satire targets ‘personal branding’ and ‘social capital’ in modern culture
- The film’s title is said to be ‘best seen with as little prior knowledge as possible’
- The film’s release date is explicitly stated as April 2 (no mention of month in Guardian)
- The film’s plot is described as ‘a mind crime’ that could decimate a person’s social capital
- The film’s ending is said to be ‘up for discussion’ in terms of sincerity
- The film’s opening meet-cute is described as ‘stacked with layers of deceit’
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The Guardian describes Emma’s deafness as caused by holding an assault rifle too close to her ear, while ABC does not specify the cause beyond it being a loaded topic
- The Guardian calls the film a ‘contrived but amusing high-concept, high-anxiety movie,’ while ABC describes it as ‘wildly unpredictable’ and ‘unsettling’
- The Guardian states the film’s ending ‘loses its nerve slightly,’ while ABC calls it ‘unusually cheesy’ and ‘oddly empathetic’ without criticizing it
- The Guardian compares the film to Bret Easton Ellis and Louis Malle’s Lacombe, Lucien, while ABC does not make these comparisons
- The Guardian mentions the film’s release month (not specified) but ABC explicitly states the release date as April 2
Source Articles
The Drama review – Zendaya and Robert Pattinson’s controversial wedding film delivers on its promise
A woman’s confession on the eve of her nuptials causes uproar in this insouciantly offensive provocation from the director of Dream Scenario • This review contains spoilers How much of your past shoul...
This controversial rom-com starring Zendaya is one of the best movies of the year
On the surface, A-listers Zendaya and Robert Pattinson's new film seems like a regular rom-com. That's exactly what director Kristoffer Borgli wants you to think....