Writer/Director: Kristoffer Borgli
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Zendaya and Alana Haim
‘A Dazzling Drama’
It takes courage to face the end of a marriage. Everyone recalls sad memories of the time when their parents ended marriage stories. From a personal point-of-view, divorce impacted my aunt’s ability to make her dreams come true. Several years ago, divorce threw my aunt’s dream of building a stable family out a window. Following her wedding, she had a tense fight with her spouse that brought her marriage toward an ending. Before midnight, my aunt engaged in an intense fight that proved to be a shocking sight. An endless argument, it made the cracks in her marriage clearly evident. She couldn’t help but grieve when her spouse made choices to suddenly leave. A tense separation, it caused her marriage to end in destruction. Before her marriage ended, my aunt was in a happy relationship that didn’t seem complicated. At a first glance, her husband appeared to be a genuinely kind person that wouldn’t break marriages by any chance. Her husband appeared a nice person that wouldn’t file for separation. Unlike ordinary people, they appeared to be a happy couple that wouldn’t face any obstacle. My family was under the impression her marriage was a match made in heaven. Everything appeared fine in a normal relationship which didn’t show signs of experiencing decline. However, a shocking secret ruined my aunt’s marriage forever. When she discovered her husband had cheated, her marriage deteriorated. An extra-marital affair, it caused despair. Finding her husband was cheating on her for years left her in a puddle of tears. Ultimately, I felt a strong sense of pity for an aunt whose marriage ended in tragedy. Today, I’m happy to say my aunt found a way to recover from divorce leaving her cast away. Although she has been haunted by the divorce settlement, my aunt has focused energy into being a better parent. Years later, I treasure an aunt that fought one battle after another.
As someone treasuring memories of an aunt that faced divorce trauma, I adored “The Drama”. Released in 2026, Kristoffer Borgli’s movie captured broken relationships. Packed with bold visuals, engaging storytelling and phenomenal acting, it’s a remarkable romantic drama. At the centre of it all is Robert Pattinson, who embodies a groom facing tension. Although “The Drama” is a remarkable drama, it isn’t flawless. It’s unevenly paced, building an ambiguous conclusion. Nevertheless, it offers engaging entertainment for fans of dramas.
Set in modern-day America, “The Drama” tells the story of an engaged couple experiencing a dilemma. Robert Pattinson portrays Charlie, an aspiring writer seeking romantic relationships. Charlie has always shared powerful relationships with Emma (Zendaya), a young woman whom he plans to marry. However, Charlie’s dreams of weddings are shattered when he discovered shocking secrets about his lover. Discovering shocking secrets about a school shooting, Charlie questions his love for a woman that’s frightening.
Kristoffer Borgli is fascinated with themes of marriage. A fantastic Norwegian filmmaker, Borgli has made engaging movies about marriages that end in disaster. His acclaimed film “Dream Scenario” captured family men in a stressful scenario facing marriages that end in sorrow. With “The Drama”, however, Borgli created his first ever romantic drama. It’s the filmmaker’s first attempt to capture modern couples that experience disastrous weddings causing tragedy but he succeeds tremendously. Evoking Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story”, Borgli effectively uses close-ups to capture marriages that experience tragedy. For instance, close-ups elevate the argument scene. During this unforgettable scene, Charlie and Emma have a tense fight in their apartment after the discovery of a shocking secret. It brought back heartbreaking memories of an aunt that experienced frightening arguments with her spouse causing marriages to end in tragedies. Through breathtaking visuals, Borgli captures tensions that couples in broken relationships are experiencing.
Another admirable aspect of “The Drama” that merits appreciation is the production. Evoking Richard Linklater’s “Before Midnight”, Borgli uses production to capture weddings ending at midnight. Throughout the movie, the wedding serves as a crucial backdrop showcasing couples breaking up. For instance, the wedding setting elevates the affair discovery scene. During this heartbreaking scene, Emma is shocked to discover that Charlie has been having an affair causing mourning. It reminded me of my aunt’s reaction of shock when she discovered that her spouse had cheated on her leaving her emotionally devastated. Moreover, the musical score is magnificent. It gives the film a tense atmosphere capturing the tensions that couples facing disastrous weddings are experiencing. Through stunning production, Borgli creates a compelling wedding congregation.
Storytelling is one of the main reasons why “The Drama” is a romantic drama that’s engaging. In Hollywood, most movies about infidelity rarely address struggles faced by cheating lovers that are misunderstood. For instance, James Cameron’s “Titanic” depicted couples engaging in affairs aboard ships without facing consequences that are tragic. Thankfully, however, “The Drama” avoids these pitfalls. Evoking Asghar Farhadi’s “A Separation”, Borgli effectively uses silence to capture hardships faced by couples experiencing a tense separation. For instance, silence elevates the breakup scene. During this unforgettable scene, Charlie faces grief when he has a breakup with Emma following their wedding. It reminded me of my aunt’s grief when she separated from a husband that she appreciated in marriages that deteriorated. Silence is a tricky technique. As Robert Redford’s “Ordinary People” suggested, silence elevates movies about broken families. Nevertheless, it works immensely. Through a strong screenplay, Borgli captures couples that part way.
One appreciates amazing performances.
Robert Pattinson delivers one of his best career performances as Charlie. Pattinson first achieved appreciation for playing romantic vampires in fantasy films. With “The Drama”, however, he took on his most complex role. It isn’t easy to portray a husband in a broken marriage facing adversity but he succeeds immensely. Evoking Ben Affleck in David Fincher’s “Gone Girl”, Pattinson embodies a conflicted husband facing broken relationships that unfurl. With riveting expressions, he captures the angst, grief and frustrations of a groom in broken relationships facing tensions. It’s a powerful performance from a talented actor.
Zendaya is spectacular as a woman haunted by a past of trauma. While Pattinson gets the showier role, Zendaya is equally excellent as a woman whose life spirals out of control. Recalling Michelle Williams in Derek Cianfrance’s “Blue Valentine”, Zendaya embodies a woman whose marriage faces decline. Whether she is disclosing secrets about a school shooting or worrying about her wedding, Zendaya uses her body language to create a woman that’s compelling. It’s a strong performance from one of the most talented actresses working today.
Despite its extraordinary performances, however, “The Drama” can’t entirely capture romantic relationships in the modern era. If there’s a minor shortcoming to the movie, it lacks engaging pacing. Borgli’s decision to integrate subplots about gun control into the movie is bold but hinders the pacing. Due to this faulty technique, scenes capturing Emma’s fight against gun control aren’t as engaging as her present-day marriage. As Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” suggested, subplots about gun control elevate political dramas. Moreover, the film lacks a compelling ending. It’s an ambiguous conclusion without a resolution. Whereas this ambiguous ending elevated Robert Zemeckis’ “Cast Away”, it clashes with the realistic tone of this movie. Therefore, “The Drama” can’t quite capture marriages that spouses adore.
Nevertheless, fans of Robert Pattinson will definitely enjoy “The Drama” and so would movie-goers seeking meaningful entertainment. A riveting romantic drama, it proves Cinema is a medium that can capture marriages in the modern era.
A powerful portrait of the frightening factors that cause unstable marriages to deteriorate, it’s a riveting reminder that modern romantic relationships are absolutely worth depicting in memorable movies that audiences appreciate.
As memorable as Charlie and Emma’s wedding, it has inspired me to move on several years after witnessing my aunt experience a crumbling marriage by cherishing a commemorated relative that gave me greater understanding of the hardship which couples breaking up precious relationships are often experiencing.
4/5 stars
The Film Buff 