A pre-wedding confession sends a perfect Boston romance into a spiral of secrets, judgment and very bad decisions.
By Dana Barbuto/Boston Movie News
Popping the question usually means a ring, a gasp, and a happily-ever-after. In the dark wedding comedy “The Drama,” the real trouble begins when someone pops the wrong one: “What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?”
For Boston couple Charlie (Robert Pattinson) and Emma (Zendaya), the answer—no spoilers here—cracks open a Pandora’s box, turning their march to matrimony into a wicked cringy mess of exposed nerves, big laughs, and larger truths—political, relational and cultural—sure to divide audiences between those who love it and those who hate it.
Walking an extremely thin line between funny and repellent, writer-director Kristoffer Borgli (“Dream Scenario”) gleefully takes the familiar bridal-breakdown setup and ties it into squirm-inducing knots. Its best asset, besides sheer boldness, is the pleasure of never knowing where the story is headed next—it’s delightfully all over the map, curdling into something tense and darkly funny. I couldn’t get enough of it.
Charlie, a curator at the fictional Cambridge Art Museum (the Addison Gallery in Andover doubles), bumps into Emma, fresh-faced and bookish, in a classic coffee-shop meet-cute. He hits on her, pretending to be reading the same book. Sparks fly. Their romance unfolds with rom-com perfection—from courtship to cohabitation to engagement—framed by a glossy version of the city (much of the film was shot in Boston and Cambridge) that’s all picture-perfect streets, charming cafés, neighborhood diners and a Back Bay apartment with a spiral staircase that no one their age can afford. There’s not a dive bar in sight.
But fairytales fade fast.
At their wedding venue (shot at The Mansion on Turner Hill in Ipswich), a laid-back wine-tasting with the best man (Mamoudou Athie) and maid of honor (Alana Haim) erupts into something like a reckless round of Cards Against Humanity, where each person answers the tipsy prompt, confessing their worst sin. The secrets range from harsh to downright cruel, and for a moment, it’s all laughter. Then Emma’s response lands like a “what the fuck” gut punch. Talk about oversharing.
The film wisely treats this revelation not as a big “twist” but as the starting pistol. Within the first 20 minutes, the secret is out, and the rest of the film becomes an extended reaction to it. As the big day looms, the wedding is in freefall. Charlie spends most of his time trapped in his own head (it’s an interesting place to be), torn between wanting to forgive and wanting to grab his ass and run. Everything, even a harmless coffee mug, reminds him of her past. Emma, on the other hand, is in a holding pattern, waiting to see whether their relationship can survive brutal honesty. Till doubt do us part, I guess.
Never mind which side you fall on, there’s no doubt about the performances. All are solid, including Haim’s Rachel as the deliciously bitchy bridesmaid, the kind who smiles with contempt as she tosses gas onto emotional fires. Her character’s hypocrisy (just wait until you get a load of her secret) fuels some of the film’s sharpest laughs. Mike (Athie) wastes no time calling Emma a “psychopath,” which nudges an already-unraveling Charlie even closer to DEFCON 1. Zoë Winters steals scenes as a wedding photographer trying to get the bride and groom to smile and Hailey Benton Gates is a welcome addition later in the film, playing Charlie’s “supportive” co-worker.
Emma and Charlie’s situation may offend those who take the film’s comic daring for insensitivity, but even the detractors will find Zendaya and especially Pattinson simply irresistible. They are the kind of attractive stars who are convincingly adorable together as a couple. She’ll pants him when he needs to lighten up. He’ll whisper playful things in her deaf ear to see if she can hear him. When everything goes off the rails, Pattinson shifts into full-blown spiral mode. He owns the anxious energy—twitchy, funny, and way too wound up to fake happiness. Zendaya matches him with quiet, sinewy intensity, panic simmering underneath. Considering the fate of their relationship is on the line, I do wish she had a bit more to do than just stand by feeling guilty while he unravels one bad decision at a time.
Borgli keeps everything teetering just shy of total disaster, tying familiar wedding moments, everything from a pre-wedding photo session to a dance lesson to a DJ’s mishap, into pure anxiety. What lingers isn’t the shock of Emma’s confession—it’s the disbelief, uncertainty and judgment that entwines everyone on-screen (and maybe you, too).
Ultimately, the film asks a bigger question: How much do we really want to know about the people we love?
If your partner confessed their worst thought—not necessarily their worst action—would you stay? Should people be judged by their darkest impulses, or by the choices they ultimately make afterward?
“The Drama” doesn’t offer tidy answers; it wants you squirming, questioning trust, forgiveness, and how much truth is too much. Couples may leave the theater glancing at each other side-eyed, wondering what secrets are better left unsaid.
‘The Drama’
Rating: R
Cast: Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Alana Haim, Mamoudou Athie, Hailey Benton Gates
Writer/Director: Kristoffer Borgli
Running time: 106 minutes
Where to watch: In theaters April 3
Grade: B+
Boston Movie News 