Ava Umpierre ’27
Spoiler Warning
“The Drama,” starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, appears to be an offbeat comedy in trailers. When watching the movie, viewers experience an emotionally charged and intense story. The director, Kristoffer Borgli, incorporates a slow-burning story dramatized by its imagery and harsh themes. Zendaya and Robert Pattinson star as two deeply flawed individuals navigating a relationship strained by ambition, secrecy, and unresolved trauma.
Zendaya delivers a performance that feels raw without becoming overindulgent, much like her characters in other work. She captures the quiet contradictions of her character, strength masking vulnerability, confidence undercut by self-doubt. Pattinson, on the other hand, leans into a more restrained, internalized portrayal. His character is frustratingly harder to read, but that ambiguity feels intentional rather than underdeveloped. Still, the chemistry between Zendaya and Pattinson is undeniable, anchoring the film even when the script falters. Their interactions feel lived in, layered with subtext that rewards attentive viewers.
After watching the movie, many have extremely diverse views and opinions of “The Drama.” Most people, when asked, find Emma’s secret unsettling and question why it would be such a major feature in a film. In the film, friends asked each other, “What is the worst thing you’ve ever done?” Emma then reveals her secret and the film’s plot twist: she once planned a school shooting but backed out at the last moment. Tom Mauser, father of Daniel Mauser, who was killed in the Columbine school shooting, expresses extreme distaste that themes of gun violence in schools and with adolescents are not ethical to be paired with romance in films.
Ultimately, “The Drama” is not a film for those seeking fast-paced storytelling or clear resolutions. It is introspective, at times uncomfortable, and more interested in emotional truth than narrative neatness. For viewers willing to sit with its silences and imperfections, it offers a compelling, if uneven, exploration of love, identity, and the cost of emotional avoidance. The movie delves into the effects of conditional love and how damaging facades can be when they break down in relationships. “The Drama” strongly introduces the question: do past mistakes define us? Though uncomfortable, the film makes viewers reflect on past mistakes and realize they are bigger than their weakest/most unfortunate moments.
The Raider Press 