17-year-old Sonia reviews Kristoffer Borgli’s star-studded premiere
Zendaya in The Drama.
3 April 2026
Pattinson steals the show as Zendaya’s character is underdeveloped. The Drama review
The film, written and directed by Norwegian director Kristoffer Borgli, is a dark romantic comedy starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson as an engaged couple whose relationship is completely shaken by a revelation just days before their wedding.
Released by the famous A24 studio, the film starts out as a charming, slightly offbeat love story that takes a sharp, deep turn and keeps the audience in a stir.
The central twist, which A24 diligently kept secret for promotional reasons, is what shapes the story. Just when you think the lovebirds Charlie (Pattinson) and Emma (Zendaya) can’t get any lovelier, Emma reveals a secret during a drunken dinner with friends that shakes everyone to their core – including her fiancé. The calm manner in which it is introduced makes it that much more unsettling as we learn the horrifying truth.
Even so, it’s not Emma who is the star of the show – Charlie is. Pattinson delivers an impeccable performance across the entire film. Charlie begins the movie as a handsome, slim man with a quirky British accent and a somewhat dorky image, who gradually descends into “madness” as he struggles to deal with the shattering revelation.
Pattinson’s raw and intense performance proves he is a chameleon – he created a character that subtly creates doubt and confusion, like it was growing inside of him before finally exploding.
Zendaya, as always, delivers a natural performance, her beauty drawing attention in each scene she executes – but frankly, that is about it. Whether it was intentional or simply a flaw in the script, the imbalance is clear. Emma’s backstory and character are severely underdeveloped, even though they are meant to carry the plot. It’s Jordyn Curet, who plays young Emma, that truly draws attention to the character. And this is also where Borgli’s directing comes into light.
Borgli continues his signature style of storytelling, earlier explored in DRIB (2017) and Sick of Myself (2022). He creates shots that cut into memories, with the addition of almost disturbing sounds and images. There are multiple jump cuts to suggest momentum, the camera never stops bouncing around: back in time, within scenes, and visions, just to hook the viewer into a vicious cycle of anxiety.
The Drama, which premiered in Los Angeles on March 17, was marketed through the main plot twist and absurd situation that the film touches. And although A24 managed to make a trailer that left everyone craving to learn what the story is about – and the depth of the climax is pleasantly surprising – it is frankly only a background for the complex characters.
In reality, the film focuses on much deeper questions about the limits of empathy and romance. Can a single confession undo everything we built? The Drama asks whether we love people or the idea of them. It never answers the question, but then again, neither do we.
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