THE DRAMA is actually a rom-com – of sorts – but a dark, unsettling one that raises serious, uncomfortable issues and questions that may lead to discussion after the film’s end, making this a film that will have people talking long after leaving the theater.
Norwegian writer/director Kristoffer Borgli brings a chilly, biting Scandinavian dark humor to this film, as he did in the fantasy DREAM SCENARIO with Nicholas Cage. Although Borgli structures THE DRAMA like any in the rom-com genre, and the film stars two very attractive people, Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, as the loving, engaged couple, Emma and Charlie, whose wedding is fast approaching, the story takes a twist that turns it towards that dry, dark Scandinavian humor, humor of the sort found in dark comedies like THE SQUARE.
Sure, a surprise in a rom-com about a pending wedding is almost standard, and the title, THE DRAMA, suggests it might be something causing more upset than it is worth. But that is not the case in this film, because the issue raised has significance for society (but no spoilers here about what it is). However, after raising that issue, the film largely fails to follow through with a discussion, which is one thing that will spark those post-film audience discussions.
Zendaya and Robert Pattinson are impressively good in this film, as this happily engaged couple, Emma and Charlie, who are weeks away from their wedding and who seem headed for wedded bliss. They share a odd sense of humor, and even though the pairing of a shy British historian with a playful, unpredictable American seems a bit unlikely, Zendaya and Pattinson have enough romantic chemistry to make it work. Writer/director Borgli gives us a funny meet cute, a near disaster but also funny first date and creates a romantic warmth. There are a few hiccups but generally all seems on track, until a drunken evening with the matron of honor, (Alana Haim) and her husband (Mamoudoud Athie) leads to a silly dare for each of them to reveal their worst secret, which leads to a startling revelation.
In the real world, the wedding would either be put on hold while the couple sorted it out but not in movie world. The steps towards the wedding march ahead, while Charlie tries to figure it out and Emma tries to remain patient while he perplexed by her explanation. Emotions run high, but a kind of cultural disconnect also looms, sometimes like a chasm, between the British groom and American bride.
Acting is outstanding in this well-made if unsettling film. Zendaya brings her talent to bear and Pattinson steps up a notch, with a portrayal of a shy British academic in love, that has hints of Cary Grant and Hugh Grant. After that evening where the bomb drops, the film’s humor turns dark and biting, with Alana Haim carrying much of the dark humor brilliantly in her sardonic scenes. Although the film keeps some elements of the rom-com structure, from that point on the humor is very dark and we never know what will happen next.
In modern weddings, particularly for this kind of couple with no financial concerns, there are a million details to be decided and deadlines to be met, as the date comes ever closer. That also means that are a million things that can go wrong and the ticking clock of the approaching wedding means no time to pause for something else – like an important discussion. This creates the perfect pressure cooker to blow the top off everything.
Director Borgli builds this tension masterfully, keeps us absorbed as every scene efficiently delivers exactly what the story needs in the film’s taut one-hour-and-46 minute running time. Flashbacks to Emma’s youth give us insights on her and what happened back then, and scenes of Charlie struggling to process things on his own reveal his character. The film is very well-made and works in most levels, as it moves towards an ending that resolving things for the story. But the failure of the couple to really discuss in depth what was revealed that one drunken night leaves audiences with an unsettling feeling, which will lead to those post-film discussions.
One way to define a good film is that it leaves you wanting to talk about it afterwards. By that criteria, THE DRAMA certainly succeeds, and likely to spark discussion about the characters, the film, and maybe even the subject it raised.
THE DRAMA opens in theaters on Friday, Apr. 4, 2026.
RATING: 3.5 out of 4 stars
