REVIEW: "The Drama"

GENRE: Comedy; Drama;

DIRECTOR: Kristoffer Borgli

WRITER: Kristoffer Borgli

STARRING: Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Alana Haim, Mamoudou Athie, Hailey Gates and Zoe Winters

The thing about The Drama is that it has some big execution mistakes, but it still succeeds at building a rewarding cinematic experience due to the commitment of stars Zendaya and Robert Pattinson who put their whole talent in display for movie that could go wrong with less capable actors. It's solid but it didn't live up to the hype it was able to build during the marketing campaign - which would make it a letdown, but it isn't because the whole third act excceed my expectations. Actually, The Drama has tea.

Borgli starts the film with what might be his biggest directing mistake: he doesn't make the audience spend enough time with Emma (Zendaya) and Charlie (Pattinson) before the needle dropping moment Emma reveals her secret - something that is supposed to completely change the perspective about Emma. Since we don't really get to know Emma, the secret is never shocking, since it feels like she is being presented that way. The narrative unfolds from that revelation (something Emma says while she's quite drunk during a food and wine tasting for her wedding party) and it ignites a change of dynamics between Emma and her friends and Emma and her husband-to-be Charlie. 

So... How does it succeed? Pattinson and Zendaya do the job as they explore their characters and make the audience fall in love with them while they are under pressure. The hardest task is Zendaya's since she must generate empathy for a character who feels doomed to not be loved since the very beginning, but she plays Emma like a mystery and a woman in search for some sort of redemption while she feels her world apart for something she intended to be. Pattinson's Charlie is way more lovable but you watch him fall from grace at some point, as he questions everything and every moment of his relationship with his fiancée - he's particularly sweet and emotional, while Emma is more cerebral and introverted. In the end, I didn't feel they were playing characters that are that different from themselves, but both really have movie star quality and they are simply magnetic to watch. 

The supporting cast is also quite interesting, with Alana Haim playing a true "Karen" here and she's deliciously b*tchy, specially in the third act where she sticks a "knife" and watches Emma while she watches her bleed (and I would love to discuss her on X). Also a lot of praise for Zoe Winter's hilarious cameo as the photographer and Hailey Gates that really manages to steal the spotlight during her scenes.

In terms of editing and cinematography, The Drama is quite fine, adding a dynamic rythm that's rare in this kind of dramedies, making it a quite watchable and never boring cinematic experience. 

In the end, The Drama is not romantic, but it's quite funny while it explores the concepts of intention and actual action, overcoming obstacles in a relationship and what's wrong with America. It handles a very sensitive topic, but it never gets political: it focus on its impact on Emma and Charlie's relationship, BUT its global impact haunts the movie's atmosphere like a ghostly presence.

The Drama is worth seeing and I can't write much more because I'm afraid of giving away spoilers, but go see it for Zendaya and for Pattinson. I must say I loved the ending!

RATING: 7/10.