The Drama

Released 2026. Director: Kristoffer Borgli

WHAT'S THE WORST THING YOU'VE EVER DONE? Asked almost playfully among close friends between drinks and perhaps not expecting anything too outrageous, one answer is so shocking it derails a happily engaged couple barely a week before their wedding.

Charlie and Emma, as played by Robert Pattinson and Zendaya, are the kind of couple that other couples envy, a match made in heaven because they are smart, attractive and so in love. As they get closer to the big day, all there's left to do is menu tasting for the reception and finish writing their wedding speeches, until Emma's answer to an impromptu question throws everything into a bonfire.

We've all done things we're not proud of. But reconciling with the knowledge of some dark deed of the person you're about to marry is a knotty issue to manage. At what point does it become a deal breaker?

I won't tell you exactly what Emma said, but you'll get a fair idea if you read on. Some reviewers do not mention, or even hint at the confession to avoid revealing the so-called twist, and thereby not commenting on what I feel is an important subject writer-director Kristoffer Borgli was attempting to get people talking about.

The Drama is not just about a couple's emotionally fraught confrontation with a hidden past, it is also about America's pervasive gun culture. What's most frightening is how the culture has normalised thoughts, behaviour and response surrounding the use of firearms. When something doesn't feel “right”, the first thought is to pick up a weapon and use it, as if it's a natural solution, even for a 12-year-old at school, and that's what makes the story disturbing.

While Emma just wants to move on from this dark chapter in her past—and indeed she has—Charlie and friends find it impossible to let go, and they start to see Emma in a different light. Is it right for them to let this knowledge hang over their relationship, or should they drop it because the evil deed never eventuated? What would you do if one of your best friends, boyfriend or girlfriend admitted to having planned to kill a lot of people? Do you still feel safe sleeping next to him or her in the dark?

Charlie unravels emotionally, torn between love, fear and perhaps contempt; while Emma retreats and waits for him to find his way. The wedding is still going ahead, but the happiness and excitement is now replaced by a creeping sense of anxiety and uncertainty.

Zendaya is subtle in her portrayal of a bride turned worst person in the world, acting a lot with her eyes, almost making herself smaller by withdrawing. The aftermath of the revelation puts the weight on Charlie and Pattinson is believably a dazed and disillusioned romantic, giving us yet another side of the actor after his turns as a comical clone in Mickey 17 and the seriously glum Bruce Wayne in The Batman.

The Drama dares to use a romantic premise to probe a hot-button issue, and that's admirable and gutsy. The provocative situation, however, doesn't quite lead to an exploration of the ramifications in a meaningful depth. Charlie and Emma mostly struggle with the consequences of the revelation on their own, avoiding a direct crisis management as a couple. The main flaw, if I could call it that, is the absence of commenting on the elephant in the room. Gun violence and school shootings are topics that provoke strong feelings. When you make it an integral part of the story and not articulating on your position, it's not only a wasted opportunity but somewhat disingenuous.

Even though the premise is simple, there's still an awful lot to unpack and the movie brings it to a head at the wedding by turning it into a cringe fest aimed more for audience entertainment than genuine character evolution. Borgli finds a way to move the situation towards a resolution, which may or may not be agreeable to everyone. Then again, whether or not you choose to stay with your partner after learning of the absolute worst thing they've ever done is a very personal decision. But the question itself is a valid conversation starter, which makes The Drama an appropriate movie choice for a date night, ideally long before proposal.

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