Directed by: Kristoffer Borgli
Written by: Kristoffer Borgli
Run Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

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Weddings and drama go hand in hand. Something Robert Pattinson knows all too well after his on-screen marriage to Jennifer Lawrence in Lynne Ramsay’s critically-acclaimed Die My Love (2025). While that marital meltdown came from postpartum depression, often it’s the more trivial details that cause the most ceremonial conflict. In Kristoffer Borgli’s The Drama, Pattinson returns to the cinematic altar once more, this time opposite Zendaya, but he finds himself with a little more to contend with than just the usual last-minute wedding day jitters.

Engaged couple Charlie (Robert Pattinson) and Emma (Zendaya) are putting in place final preparations for their rapidly approaching big day. However, while sampling food and drinks for the reception dinner alongside the maid of honour, Rachel (Alana Haim), and best man Mike (Mamoudou Athie), a shocking revelation from Emma stuns the group. After each sharing the worst thing they have ever done, Charlie can’t quite believe what Emma admits, sending him into a manic spiral that sees him contemplate calling off the wedding entirely.

If it wasn’t for the film’s indicative title, it could be suggested that Borgli lulls his audience into a false sense of romantic security. Opening with Charlie’s fond recollections of his meet-cute and first dates with Emma, as he recalls anecdotes for his wedding speech, The Drama initially plays out like your average indie romance. Pattinson and Zendaya make for a convincing couple and the script is naturally funny enough to put you at ease early on. It’s all misdirection though, as when Emma drops her bombshell and Charlie begins to question his feelings for her, so too do viewers, pondering whether the couple can, or should, for that matter, survive such a damning admission.

This devilish shift in tone turns The Drama from a conventional romance into something far more unsettling, like a cruel social experiment that tests the very limits of so-called “unconditional love”. Astutely, Borgli accompanies the depravity and immense discomfort of the situation with an abundance of dark humour that somehow makes it all digestible. It’s his mischievous sense of timing that expertly intensifies the central conundrum too. With only days left before the couple are due to tie the knot, Emma’s confession becomes the catalyst for the ultimate test of their relationship. For better and for worse, sure. But what about the absolute worst? Does that change things?

Well, as both characters and audience consider the implications of Emma’s alarming disclosure, Joshua Raymond Lee’s frantic editing aptly exacerbates the stress of the situation. In splicing together characters’ very worst imagined thoughts with their genuine realities he paints an illuminating picture of their increasingly unstable mental states. Coupled with Daniel Pemberton’s understated but undeniably effective score — it bubbles delicately beneath the surface, replicating the rising tensions — The Drama steadily quickens its pace while encapsulating the excruciating actuality of the characters’ dilemmas.

As the anxiety increases so does the scale of the titular drama, introducing additional layers of farce in a brilliant display of escalation comedy. It’s reminiscent of Dan Fogelman’s uproarious Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011), but rather than a backyard brawl, the fallout here happens mid-wedding, in, as you would expect, spectacularly awkward fashion. Crucially, The Drama is funny enough to offset all of the shock, cringe and disbelief that comes with its provocative premise. And while it will likely be remembered for its dramatic finale, there’s a series of gags earlier in the film that perhaps demonstrate its wicked sense of humour best — unfortunately if you’ve a straight face during the pre-wedding photography session, you’ve likely missed the joke.

The performances are gleefully comedic too, with Alana Haim’s self-righteous maid of honour Rachel — there’s a case to be made for her admission being the worst of them all — pulling the movie equivalent of wearing white to a wedding, regularly upstaging her co-stars. Her onscreen partner Mamoudou Athie also does well, with his shrewd timing and unassuming line delivery complimenting her more abrasive angst. Elsewhere, Hailey Gates and Zoë Winters have fun in smaller roles, while Robert Pattinson and Zendaya carry much of the dramatic weight on their shoulders. Pattinson in particular is superb, capturing Charlie’s agonising descent towards insanity in such brilliantly unbridled fashion. Whereas Zendaya affords Emma a softness that sees her search for forgiveness for something she technically hasn’t even done. Together, they make for a fascinating duo and a riveting case study in romantic resilience.

It’s as twisted a love story as they come, confirming that Kristoffer Borgli’s fascination with all things awful has only intensified over time. From the present-day narcissism of Sick of Myself (2022) to the nightmarish encounters of Dream Scenario (2023), his work has consistently explored societal pressures and cancel culture. With The Drama, he turns to the past, scrutinising how historical personal failings can shape others’ perceptions of us today. Doing so in his most assured manner yet, this is one wedding you won’t want to miss.

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Star Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

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