What actually defines a person? Is it the worst thing they’ve ever done, or who they’ve become since? That’s the question The Drama poses to the audience. I went to see this film on opening day. While watching it, I kept thinking about how simple it is to judge someone at their lowest point, but how rarely we stop and reflect on our own mistakes first. This film by A24 sets up a very insightful idea about judgment and growth, but instead of fully exploring it, it ends up feeling one-sided and frustrating.
At the start of the film, it feels like it’s going somewhere meaningful. You have a couple played by Robert Pattinson and Zendaya, who are about to marry. Everything seems normal until the truth about their pasts starts to unravel in a discussion among their two closest friends. Rachel, who is Emma’s maid of honor, asks each person in the group to discuss the worst thing they’ve ever done.
It creates this tension that feels real when a disturbing revelation about Emma’s past is uncovered, and Charlie realizes he doesn’t fully know the person he’s about to spend the rest of his life with. That’s such a strong concept, especially for people our age where relationships and identity are always changing. This is where I felt the movie was going to delve into that complexity but then it kind of doesn’t.
The biggest problem for me was how the film handled Emma’s secret. Undoubtedly it’s deeply disturbing and unsettling, and I fully understand why Charlie would be shaken by it. His reaction makes sense. What didn’t work for me was how the rest of the film suddenly became about him, with his spiraling thoughts and worries about whether he could go through with the wedding. Instead of exploring Emma’s character more and the complexity of her past, the film shifts almost entirely to Charlie, following his spiral as he questions their relationship, cheats and even humiliates her leading up to their wedding.
What bothered me the most was the hypocrisy of it all. Emma is not the only person in this story who has done something terrible. Charlie has a history of being a cyberbully, which I believe could have added so much depth. I honestly thought the movie was going to connect that to Emma’s past and make him reflect on his own actions before judging her. That would have made the message more balanced and meaningful. Her friend/maid of honor, Rachel, also reveals a truly dark secret about when she was a kid, she left a boy alone in the woods and locked him in a van. His parents had to call the police and do an entire search for him. Rachel just says this and moves on.
When Emma tells Rachel about her past, their relationship is ruined and Rachel despises her now. Throughout the movie it keeps circling on if Charlie and Rachel will ever be able to accept her, as if their perspectives is the only one that matters. That’s what makes the film feel empty to me. It sets up this idea that everyone has issues, but then it only focuses on Emma and if the message is supposed to be about whether people can change, then why isn’t that question applied to everyone?
Another thing that bothered me about this film was how it relied on shock value, especially through the trailer. The reveal about Emma is obviously intense, but it doesn’t feel like the movie fully earns it. It isn’t produced in a way that fully shifts the tone but instead of exploring it in a meaningful and impactful way, it mostly just drives conflict. Due to this, I felt that the film just wants a reaction instead of trying to actually say something important.
The pacing does not help at all. While watching the film, I noticed how many abrupt cuts there are between scenes and it feels very disjointing. It’s like every scene they probably filmed for hours and hours in real life and had to redo it multiple times because there’s just so many cuts. Some moments that should feel emotional, feel rushed. While others drag on without adding anything new. It’s not smooth, and that takes away from what should’ve been a much stronger story.
A positive about this film was the classic touches from an A24 film. Visually it was nice, I loved the scene when Emma takes Charlie into a room during their wedding to talk privately, and the sun is setting on their face, the lighting looks very pretty. Also the sound was perfect for every moment that felt tense. Just hearing those beats as an audience member you could tell that the characters were gearing up towards an uncomfortable moment.
Ultimately, I don’t think The Drama completely fails. The message is there, but it never fully commits to answering it in a balanced way. Instead, it focuses too heavily on other character’s reactions while ignoring the bigger picture.
