The drama of Drama it’s not a complete secret—if you’re looking to crack a button-pushing foundation yourself, a quick Google search will do the trick. But director Kristoffer Borgli’s new film hinges on the viewer’s reaction to one character’s shocking revelation. The film does not rest on its provocations, however; instead it accompanies the results of the moment in all the funny and secretly challenging ways. Whether it’s fun or annoying, Drama it seems intent on eliciting a strong reaction from everyone who sees it.
With Zendaya and Robert Pattinson as its stars, many people can go see it. Both actors like to take risks in the projects they choose, and this time they are rolling the dice with Borgli. The last effort of the Norwegian filmmaker was Fantasy Environmenta surreal comedy that has never quite changed. Drama gratitude has more attention. Charlie (Pattinson) and Emma (Zendaya) seem like the perfect couple, well-matched in looks and work—she’s a British museum director but good-looking; she is a spunky, cute bookstore clerk. That opinion changes when, a few days before their wedding, while she and Charlie are on a date with friends, Emma shares a terrible story from her past, which puts her fiancé in a big crisis.
What he tells them is important, and not just as a way to get to the plot. Emma’s history is fascinating, stemming from her unhappy experiences as a teenager. Charlie is not sure how reliable he is as a narrator of his past misdeeds, and neither is the audience. That cut is the reason for Charlie’s fear – you really can to know someone? Even the person you plan to spend the rest of your life with? Emma’s past behavior is very specific and scary to consider, but what does it do Drama What’s really interesting is Charlie’s concern about it. Anyone who has even been close to planning a wedding of any size has borne witness to what these couples go through: pondering what good memories to include in their vows, which friends they should choose to give speeches, how to present their couple within the expectations of marriage. Borgli is sickened by the pressure (the obnoxious photographer, played by Zoë Winters, is a big draw), before bending the knife to Emma’s full acquiescence.
That comes at the dinner table with Emma and Charlie’s best friends, Mike (Mamoudou Athie) and Rachel (Alana Haim). Rachel dares the group to reveal the “worst thing” they’ve ever done, then reacts with utter disgust when Emma reveals something horrifying. A wedding is designed to show the perfected vision of a couple, but Borgli wants his audience to think about this question: What secrets does everyone involved—including guests and wedding party members—bury to protect that image? Zendaya, who has the biggest role, brilliantly captures the isolation that comes with her confession; she always looks like she’s about to throw up or scratch her skin once her friends and boyfriend start seeing her differently.
Pattinson is Zendaya’s funny foil. He’s leaning ridiculously, tripping over the furniture and stuttering every line like he’s Hugh Grant out. Four Weddings and a Funeral in turbo mode. It’s a beautiful look at gentle masculinity coming unhindered, and it’s one of the best performances Pattinson has ever given. Since hitting it big and Evening (as the desired romantic lead), the actor seems more interested in attacking the concept of alpha heroism in every possible way—for example, as the dirty grifter he played. Good Time and Looney Tunes-said the grunt worker inside Mickey 17. In DramaPattinson portrays Charlie as the epitome of tame, harmless Brit charm, and the moment the actor builds his character, it’s clear he’s enjoying subverting it.
But Borgli is not only offering a biting satire on the ultimate case of cold feet. He also gives small snippets of Emma’s past in retrospect to chew on, and leaves it up to the viewer to decide what is forgivable or unforgivable. His rebellion is one of the worst things imaginable; in a way, what Emma is hiding stems from a social disease that is passed on every day. Drama he does not know how to solve the problem. It knows that there is a foul play in taking it.
