Like many in the Bisexual community, I was thrilled to sit down and watch “The Drama,” a movie featuring the mouthwatering pairing of Zendaya and Robert Pattinson. I walked into the theater with some friends, completely unaware of the plot, and walked out in shock. Major spoilers lie ahead, so read at your own risk.
The film follows a young couple, Emma (Zendaya) and Charlie (Pattinson), as they prepare for their upcoming wedding. During a drunken dinner with their friends, Rachel (Alana Haim) and Mike (Mamoudou Athie), the group decides to share the worst things they’ve ever done, as Rachel and Mike claim they did this before their own wedding.
The group goes around the table admitting their worst sins, and when they reach Emma, she begrudgingly shares that when she was fifteen, she developed a plan to commit a mass shooting at her school. Immediately, their pleasant dinner devolves into chaos as Rachel becomes irate with Emma, and Charlie begins to question their relationship.
Obviously, this movie, advertised as a dark comedy, dives headfirst into an incredibly sensitive topic, and the question circulating online is: “Was this really necessary?” For American audiences, the topic of mass shootings and school shootings in particular is very relevant and a very real fear for many. It is a conversation that is decidedly not funny, and approaching it lightly is morally reprehensible.
The film’s biggest flaw is how callously it approaches such an unpleasant topic. It never appeared to fully ground Emma’s confession in the real-world devastation that surrounds school violence, mainly focusing on the shock value of her admission. The film seemed much more focused on provoking a reaction than saying anything meaningful. At one point, we are shown an extremely realistic car wreck, complete with bloody victims.
If that had actually been necessary for the plot, it would have made sense, but there was truly no need for it beyond showing the audience more violence. We also get to watch three vomiting scenes, which is three too many in my opinion. Those unnecessary depictions of violence and general grossness just made the film feel like it was begging for attention.
At the same time, there is a compelling conversation underneath all the shock. We live in the digital age, where violent content is constant and often sensationalized in online spaces. Through depictions of fifteen-year-old Emma (Jordyn Curet), the film shows how teenagers who digest that online violence may begin to interact with it in a detached way that goes beyond morbid curiosity.
Emma even admits to Charlie that she “liked the aesthetic of it,” pointing to the real-world concern that repeated exposure to violence can blur the line between fear and fascination. This is likely especially true for teens who are already struggling mentally, like Emma.
Unfortunately, “The Drama” never fully explores this idea. Instead of digging deeper into Emma’s reasoning for her thoughts and creating a meaningful commentary on the apathy encouraged by digital media, it treats Emma’s confession like an average plot twist.
The decision to frame the film as a comedy only makes this worse. The humor consistently falls flat, not because the audience doesn’t understand it, but because the subject matter creates an atmosphere where it feels inappropriate to laugh.
In my theater, the room was nearly silent during moments that were clearly intended to be funny. One of the friends I went with said, “Sometimes I wanted to laugh, but it just felt so wrong.” Instead of sparking conversation, it left all seven of us who went to see it in stunned silence, unsure of how to even discuss what we just witnessed.
What made the film even more frustrating is how centered it became on Charlie’s reaction to Emma’s confession. While his shock and confusion are understandable, centering his perspective over Emma’s feels limiting. Rather than unpacking Emma’s admission, the narrative pivots to focus on Charlie’s feelings and doubts.
This plot choice reduces Emma’s deepest regret to a relationship conflict, which overall makes the film come off as shallow. By sidestepping the harder, more important conversation of why Emma felt the way she did, “The Drama” yet again reduces itself to a film pandering for attention based on shock value without any further thought.
“The Drama” comes across as less of a comedy and more of a hollow conversation starter, as the film doesn’t give the important questions it raises the proper care and space that they demand. The film had the potential to thoughtfully explore how young people process violence while still embracing dark humor, but it instead settled for making the audience uncomfortable without any further depth. Personally, I wish I could get that hour and forty-three minutes back, so it’s worth the watch if you like wasting time.