Kristoffer Borgli’s “The Drama” is not an easy film to watch, but it is undeniably difficult to forget. The Norwegian director’s newest release is somehow impossible to categorize, blurring the lines between dark romance, drama, satire and whatever label you can apply to making the viewer feel a sense of deep second-hand embarrassment and anxiety for one hour and 46 minutes.
The April 2026 release is most certainly what I like to call a marmite movie – you either hate the way it makes you want to scream out of frustration, or you love watching the flawed, tragically human performance of the characters.
Actors Zendaya and Robert Pattinson star as an engaged couple, Charlie and Emma, whose seemingly stable relationship begins to unravel after a shocking confession from Emma just weeks before they say “I do.” What begins as a familiar romantic set-up featuring their coffee shop meet cute and Charlie’s vow-writing creative process spirals into something far more uncomfortable.
It’s tough to write about “The Drama” without spoiling its entire premise. The story is so narratively bound to the reveal of Emma’s harbored secret that her admission creates a domino effect of horrifically cringeworthy, complicated and chaotic events that topple over one by one for the rest of the viewing.
Going in without spoilers makes or breaks your experience. Even then, the story is less about what happens and more about how the couple deals with it.
Zendaya and Pattison carry the film with fully committed performances. As a couple, they are the antithesis of each other – Emma is quiet, controlled and keeps her emotions inside, unless the openly anxious and blundering Charlie overthinks enough to elicit a reaction. With the concept being so dark, politically relevant and morally divisive, somehow the two A-listers become anything but A-list: they are inherently human every single step of the way. So much so, at times it feels as though it could have been unscripted.
The film touches upon some difficult questions about relationships that surely no normal person would ever want to encounter, including:
- How honest should you be with someone you love?
- Can a relationship survive knowing everything about each other?
And, my personal favorite:
- Is it sensible to consider revealing a ‘take it to the grave’ confession after hours of wine tasting?
What is clear is that “The Drama” doesn’t give any clear answers. Instead, it forces the audience to sit with discomfort, just like the characters do.
The ‘Thank God this isn’t me, but why on earth would she say that?’ feeling isn’t for everyone. Between the awkward conversations and poor decisions, it has to be stamped as a certified hard watch.
Reactions have been mixed, especially among student viewers. University of Maryland sophomore Gauri Nair said she appreciated how complex the story felt.
“I loved ‘The Drama’ because it made me look at the situation from different angles and rethink my opinions,” Nair said. “I like stories that aren’t just black and white.”
Junior studio art major Reese Delp had a slightly different take but still found the film engaging.
“I thought they did a good job of showing how Zendaya really didn’t understand how serious her past was and how she thought it was just ‘drama’ they could move past,” Delp said. “I also liked how something as small as her fiancé deciding if he wants to be with her or not was basically the entire plot, but it still kept me entertained the whole time.”
Even so, “The Drama” stands out because it takes risks. It’s hard not to admire the way Borgli has created a film that evokes a feeling of such relief afterward – emulating that of waking up from a bad dream and realizing you have in fact not ruined your life – to not think it’s inherently a very well written piece.
With that being said, I’d attach a warning before recommending to a friend – 3.5 stars.