Review by Eric Hillis
Directed by: Kristoffer Borgli
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Mamoudou Athie, Alana Haim, Hailey Gates
Much has been spoken about the "twist" in The Drama, the second English language film from Norwegian satirist Kristoffer Borgli (Sick of Myself; Dream Scenario). Let's deal with that nonsense right away. There is no twist in The Drama. The film's distributor A24 has attempted to fool audiences into believing the film features a twist, but that's nothing more than a cheap and misguided marketing tool. What is referred to as the "twist" here is simply an opening act reveal. It sets up the entire movie, and so it is impossible to discuss the film without mentioning that reveal. If you wish to go into Borgli's movie blind, turn away now, but don't expect The Crying Game or The Sixth Sense.
The Drama stars Robert Pattinson and Zendaya as Charlie and Emma. After a prologue that details the awkward "meet cute" between Charlie, a Brit living in Boston, and Emma, we move forward two years into their relationship, with less than a week to go before their wedding. At a wine-tasting with Emma's maid of honour Rachel (Alana Haim) and Charlie's best man Mike (Mamoudou Athie), the quartet decide to play that ill-advised game of revealing the worst thing you have ever done. Charlie, Rachel and Mike make confessions that cast them in a pretty bad moral light, but they're outdone by Emma, who reveals that as a bullied 15-year-old she planned a mass shooting at her school. Emma was ultimately dissuaded when another shooting occurred in her town's local mall, claiming the life of a classmate. Seeing the effect it had on the community, Emma decided against her path of violent revenge and instead became an advocate for gun control.
The ensuing narrative focusses on the fallout of Emma's revelation. Rachel, whose cousin was left paralysed by a shooting, wants nothing to do with Emma. Charlie is confused and conflicted. He is still in love with Emma, but also a little afraid of her. Borgli interjects flashbacks of incidents in which Emma lost her temper in Charlie's presence, moments that Charlie is now reassessing as potential signs of his future wife's instability. Emma finds herself dogged by violent daydreams of committing a massacre at their wedding, like that infamous Dynasty season ender.
Along with Our Hero, Balthazar, The Drama is the second film to be released in the US in a matter of weeks to explore America's mass shooting culture through a satirical lens. While Balthazar is very much an American filmmaker critiquing his own culture, Borgli's film is less about America and more about how Europe relates to the US. It is crucial that Charlie is a European, and thus baffled by America's gun culture. But rather than simply rejecting Emma, and America, Charlie wants answers. He wants to know why someone could even consider committing such an atrocity. The problem is, Emma doesn't have any easy answers. She just wants to put it behind her and move on, but Charlie needs to know he's safe, that she's not going to regress to a violent state of mind. When Charlie suggests that Emma is a product of her culture he is met with outrage by Rachel, who exclaims "So you think it's America's fault?" But all the evidence suggests that it is indeed America's fault. Kids all over the world would be gunning down their classmates if they could access guns as easily as their American counterparts. But American kids are perhaps more prone to violence because it's how their leaders deal with their issues. It's telling that Emma's father is a military man. If he believes in solving problems with violence, why shouldn't his daughter?
This is a Kristoffer Borgli movie at the end of the day, and so what stands out most is the biting satire and cringe comedy. There is a wonderful moment in Todd Field's In the Bedroom (another examination of America's obsession with violent revenge) in which a tense interaction between a husband and wife is interrupted by girl scouts selling cookies, forcing the bickering couple to put on a smiling facade. There are many such awkward moments in The Drama as Charlie and Emma attempt to put on a front as they go through various rehearsals and rituals in what was already a stressful week.
Despite its dark subject matter, there is something undeniably romantic about The Drama. Pattinson and Zendaya are a thoroughly convincing screen couple, and we fully believe that they desperately want to find a way to get over this obstacle and carry on with their previously perfect life. Their final interaction is as moving as anything you'll see in a more conventional rom-com. The refusal of so many conservative and liberal American critics to engage with the film suggests Charlie and Emma have a brighter future than the country in which they live.
The Drama is in UK/ROI cinemas from April 3rd.
