The Drama – Film Review

Cast: Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Alana Haim, Mamadou Athie

Director: Kristoffer Borgli

Synopsis: The seemingly perfect relationship of a couple preparing to tie the knot is put to the test following a startling revelation…

Review: Depending on your familiarity with modern-day or Gen Z slang, you may or may not have heard the phrase: “Spill the tea”. For those unaware, it means to gossip or share new, potentially juicy information. As human beings, we certainly love to natter and share fun or amusing stories on a whole array of topics when hanging out with friends. You would assume that if you’re with your significant other on such an occasion, the person you trust more than anyone in the world, you wouldn’t share anything you haven’t already told them. But what if, while on a double date ahead of your upcoming wedding, a secret is shared that makes you question everything you thought you knew about the one person you thought you would spend the rest of your life with? This is the juicy pull of this riveting drama from Kristoffer Borgli.

The couple at the centre of this is Emma (Zendaya) and Charlie (Pattinson), who are in the midst of planning their wedding, with only a week to go before the big day. After a busy day finalising arrangements, they go wine-tasting with their friends Mike (Athie) and Rachel (Haim), who will be the best man and the maid of honour. After several bottles of wine, the conversation turns to a drunken game in which they spill the tea and reveal the worst thing they have ever done. Some uncomfortable truths are exposed, including cyberbullying and neglectful behaviour.

However, everything comes to a head when it’s Emma’s turn to reveal that, in high school, she had planned to carry out a mass shooting at her school after being bullied by her classmates, but ultimately did not go through with it. In an instant, the group’s friendly, jovial atmosphere shifts to one of horror, confusion and apoplectic anger, with Rachel in particular left absolutely disgusted by the trauma of seeing a family member severely injured in a shooting. All the while, Charlie begins to question his entire relationship with Emma, wondering whether she is really the same person he met years earlier and whether he should go through with the wedding.

Just as we humans love a bit of gossip, we watch with a mixture of unease and apprehension as the blissful romance we thought was impenetrable between our happy couple is instantly shattered. The fallout they grapple with makes for absolutely riveting viewing, and as awkward and uncomfortable as it is in places, you just cannot look away. Humans are most assuredly not perfect creatures; we all have at least one skeleton in the closet that we would prefer never see the light of day. However, Borgli’s screenplay is bold in its examination of the relationships we hold dear, and is not afraid to ask some difficult questions of the characters, and by extension the audience, about how far those relationships will be put to the test when confronted with the most alarming of discoveries that may fundamentally change how you once perceived that person. How far would we be willing to go to grapple with and ultimately forgive a person for any flaws they may have in their character, especially at a time when their mental health was probably not in the best shape?

In light of the fact that gun violence is a recurring problem that is never far from the headlines, and given the frequency with which such tragic incidents occur in the United States, credit where credit is due for attempting to broach this topic to begin with. It may only be scratching the surface and could have delved much deeper into how such incidents can tear apart entire families and communities. In this increasingly polarised and deeply divided world, using this as a framing device is a courageous move and a valuable starting point for addressing an issue that blights American society.

Such is the script’s controversial and challenging nature that it demands confident, brave performances to dive deep into these characters and ensure it doesn’t amount to a complete misfire. Zendaya and Pattinson rise to the occasion. Arguably two of the hottest (meant in every sense of the word) actors working today, they bring effortless, abundant chemistry to scenes in which they fall madly in love with one another. Not the most difficult task for such popular actors, but everything changes once Emma’s past indiscretion comes to light. It adds a whole new layer to their performances, as Emma is left scrambling to confront the dark truth about her past she hasn’t faced in years, while Charlie flickers between disbelief and quintessential British awkwardness and bewilderment about what his soon-to-be bride nearly carried out. This is emphatically not the case for Alana Haim’s Rachel, who, despite revealing an arguably even worse indiscretion than Emma’s, exhibits pure, venomous hostility towards a woman she once considered her closest friend.

Life is no picnic. It has its joyous moments, such as a wedding (in normal circumstances). Yet it can also present us with difficult dilemmas that don’t offer easy answers. This is the essence of what makes The Drama such a compelling, sometimes awkward, and sometimes hilarious watch. Your tolerance for how it chooses to confront a thorny subject may vary depending on whether a traumatic event has occurred in your family. But above all, it challenges us to accept that the love we have for another person will have its ups and downs. Ultimately, would you be willing to forgive and accept the person you thought you would spend the rest of your life with for who they are, no matter their flaws or mistakes they might have made in the past? Now there is one question you won’t find in any wedding vows.