I’m worried about Robert Pattinson
The Drama had me considering calling his agent to check if he was okay. Pattinson has loved doing films where he’s been the opposite of a vampiric heart throb, and perhaps here, in Kristoffer Borgli’s The Drama, he’s the opposite: he’s a borderline incel dork, who’s somehow landed a stunning girl, and yet he fumbles every opportunity to do the right thing.
I guess that’s why I really enjoyed this psychotic film.
Trust is important in a relationship, and yet it so easily can be broken. When we’re so consumed by one another, singular issues can tear us apart. Sometimes, those issues are small, and sometimes they’re “WHAT THE FUCK”, but they always start as something imperceptible. In The Drama it’s like take a sledgehammer to the flat of an axe into a paper cut.
That’s not to minimize the whole, actually pretty huge reason behind “the drama” in the film in the first place, but the film wants us to know that it’s important to understand that trust also requires letting others change at their own pace.
When we talk about social tension, this is it. Scenes in the film between Pattinson and Zendaya, or any other combination of characters, often feel excruciatingly tense. We see how individuals can be uniquely affected by what’s in front of them, and how typical rumor spreading can be the other side of consuming. The small fissures spread out everywhere, in every direction, amplified by people talking and people MADE to talk, until they coalesce into a canyon. Marriage is difficult, and marriage built on a diminishing trust is impossible.
The terrific performances from the entire cast, stars and support, are amplified by what’s said and what’s not said, and even by what happens when some chess pieces are off screen for considerable lengths of time, leaving us to wonder and stew in whatever they’re doing/plotting. As in Robert’s case, we can understand and empathize with his character but also learn to hate his actions. No matter how much he tries to erase the fissures behind him, he creates newer and bigger ones ahead. It’s a hydra situation. Finally, we come to realize that the hydra is Pattinson himself, and until he’s slayed, until he’s finally seen the ramifications of trying to cutting off the wrong heads, the cracks of drama overwhelm him and everyone around him.
Boom. It comes crashing together into a fantastic final few sequences.
I have a lot of love for Point A and Point Z in the film, the start and the conclusion, and the pacing of the final few days before the wedding could work so well to build it up, but unfortunately there are some caveats: we’re stuck, far too often, going through a lot of flashbacks. Going through some forced new memories that we, the viewers, need to understand before we should understand what they’re all going through. This should take place within the confines of the film plot itself, but by pulling us out so much it makes it feel almost like work, like we need to read an appendix or watch a prequel to see certain things.
That pacing is, as said, rescued by stellar performances, stupidly fun sequences, and great cinematography.
It’s a fascinating, absurd movie overall, with a moral question built in: Will you allow people to change, can you trust them to change, and maybe most importantly, can you let yourself change too?
RATING: 3/5
The Drama is directed by Kristoffer Borgli and Distributed by A24. This review was done based on a screener sent to the reviewer by the Distributor. Read about our review and rating process here — Review Process
