SENSITIVE CONTENT WARNING
The newest A24 film, “The Drama,” premiered in theaters on April 3. Despite the film’s stars, Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, two powerhouse actors, the movie has still faced much criticism for exactly what it is about: drama. The film follows Emma and Charlie, a couple who are deeply in love in their late 20s, who are about to be married in just a couple of days. But, everything they have ever known about each other is challenged by a secret revealed at a dinner with friends. The secret being that the bride, Emma, had planned and almost executed a school shooting when she was 15.
The Criticisms:
The movie has faced extremely mixed reviews online. It has been called out by many for glorifying or diminishing school shooting victims including by the parents of school shooting victims. The parents, as well as many others, have correctly seen it as a “normalization of school shootings” while making the other characters seem judgemental for their reactions. In addition the movie has been accused of falsely advertising the film as just a romance, when in reality it is very disturbing. But, I believe that these criticisms prove the movie’s point. The movie is not a romanticization of school shooters; it is a cautionary tale. It shows that those thoughts and plans, even when not executed, stay with you for the rest of your life. The movie was purposely falsely advertised to make you part of the wedding, pull you into the story and make you consider how you would react to someone telling you a secret like this. The movie is not just a story of a tenacious relationship, but a film that proves that things are always more complicated than meets the eye.
The Meet Cute:
The story begins with how they met, told through the lens of Charlie’s planned speech on their wedding day. Charlie sees Emma in a coffee shop and is immediately fascinated by her, all while she reads her book with headphones in, oblivious to his staring. He sees the book she is reading and pretends to have read it just to start a conversation. He tries to approach her, and it goes terribly because she ignores him. Just as he feels anxiety closing in on him because he feels creepy for approaching her, Emma finally notices. She explains that she is deaf in one ear and offers to “start again”. This interaction is the basis of their relationship and provides insight into the characters. Charlie becomes fixated on her (as he does with most things over the course of the film), panics and lies to make things better. Emma is kind but straightforward. She is always offering second chances, unlike Charlie, who follows a cookie-cutter lifestyle. At first, their dynamic seems endearing, but as the film progresses, we see that these traits will cause most of their problems.
The Secret:
The dinner scene is the catalyst for the rest of the film. During it, a married couple, Mike and Rachel, are having dinner with Charlie and Emma. They mention a question they posed to each other: “What is the worst thing you have ever done?” The answers, other than Emma’s, may seem inconsequential, but they reveal the characters’ evil backstories. Mike goes first, sharing a story about him letting his girlfriend, who he deems “crazy,” get attacked by a dog to prevent harm to himself. He is pressured into this story by Rachel, who talks about how she locked a special needs child in a closet in an abandoned RV and left out of fear of getting in trouble. Charlie shares a vague story about cyberbullying a kid who, unrelated or not, moved away. These characters show their personalities through the film. Mike is a coward, Rachel is an instigator and Charlie refuses to be vulnerable. The only thing these characters share is a lack of accountability for their “worst thing.” Despite Emma’s secret being judged so harshly when she shares her plan for a school shooting, she is the only one who, throughout the movie, does not make excuses for her actions and fully acknowledges how messed up they are. Despite the depravity of Emma’s actions, we are immediately aware that she is the most moral character.
The Wedding:
After the secret is revealed, their relationship spirals downward. The drama continues as Rachel plays the victim card throughout the movie, putting Emma on edge, while Charlie devolves into a complete mess to the point where he kisses his co-worker, Misha. These secrets all come to their climax on the day of the wedding. Emma believes she overhears Rachel telling Misha her secret, and when confronting her, she learns about Charlie’s disloyalty instead. The wedding toasts devolve into chaos when Charlie reveals everything to the entire wedding, leading to Misha’s boyfriend beating him up. It seems as though their relationship is unsalvageable.
The Ending:
Charlie is heartbroken after the wedding and recalls the dinner scene when Emma suggested they go to a diner together after their wedding. He had shot down the idea, saying it was not nice enough. This is representative of their relationship before Emma’s secret was revealed. Charlie was a perfectionist, and Emma was carefree. Now, both of them are a complete mess. He goes to the diner by himself, places an order and just as he sits down, Emma shows up too. The movie ends beautifully with both of them deciding to start their relationship over. It represents Charlie giving up his control and Emma forgiving him.
