• Release year: 2026
• Director: Kristoffer Borgli.
• Producers: Ari Aster, Tyler Campellone, and Lars Knudsen.
• Screenplay by: Kristoffer Borgli.
• Cinematography by: Arseni Khachaturan.
• Music by: Daniel Pemberton.

Shotgun Commentary: wacky drama with miles of depth.

Review

The Drama is the kind of film that will test your patience and make you reconsider your boundaries and principles. This is not to say that it is tedious. Far from it. It is actually one of the best dramas—pun not necessarily intended—that has come out in these few past months.

If you are watching this, you might have seen the trailer and be wondering, “Huh… is this actually worth it, or is the trailer just cheap bait?” Well, the answer is yes to both. And if you haven’t watched the trailer, let me recap.

Emma (Zendaya) and Charlie (Robert Pattinson) are about to get married. One night, talking to their friends Mike (Mamoudou Athie) and Rachel (Alana Haim), they decide to share the worst thing they have ever done. Everything is fun and laughter—even though Rachel’s worst thing is among the most disturbing things I’ve ever heard—until they reach Emma. Upon Emma’s revelation, everyone goes crazy, Rachel most of all, and a big crisis begins. Charlie overthinks everything prompted by prejudice and other people’s opinions, and Emma tries to bend over backwards to fix something that doesn’t really need fixing from the beginning.

More questions than answers

This story is not about the power of love; it is not even about the pain of heartache. This story is about human stupidity and the hypocrisy that we are trained to perpetuate since birth. This film explains why people who have nothing to do with anything “magically” decide that some conflicts are worth protesting over whilst others get ignored. That certain humour is offensive because it taps into something that makes you uncomfortable, or that having a different opinion merits being insulted and harassed online. The same people that then preach about kindness and fill their feed with pics of matchas and yoga retreats.

You know a movie is good when it prompts debate, and this one definitely does. If one were to pick a villain, my choice is clear, and no, it is definitely not Emma. However, I am sure that thousands of people will think very differently from me and, honestly? I think that is hella exciting. I will respect the film’s wishes and not get into what it is exactly that Emma did, but it is definitely a debate-worthy topic.

Crazy in… love?

Still, it is the reaction of the other characters that really merits the audience’s attention. Especially compared with another HUGE pandemic in American society: cheating. Obviously, cheating is not only for Americans, but the way it gets portrayed in American cinema is borderline delulu. I have talked about this before in the review of Splitsville (2025), but let’s do it one more time.

For whatever reason, most American films that showcase any type of cheating, from kiss to sex and everything in between, that act always tends to be forgiven. Sure, there is a big blowout and tonnes of tears for the sake of drama. But at the end of the day, the original couple always gets back together. Because forgiving is beautiful and makes you a better, more mature person… EXCUSE ME?  CAN WE STOP NORMALISING CHEATING?

Friendly reminder: cheating is not forgetting an important date. Cheating is not lying about how an outfit looks on your partner. Cheating is betraying the promise you made to your partner the second you decided to be exclusive. It is not a lie, it is the biggest disrespect you can do to the person you claim to love. And as such, even if your partner is kind—or dumb—enough to forgive you, they will never trust you the same way they used to. Every random call or night out will have them wondering if it’s happening again. Who wants to live like that?

All in all, The Drama will get your blood boiling one way or another. A must-watch for fans of the genre and for anyone who wants to get roped into the shade of it all.

Advice to take from this movie:

• Don’t let others decide for you how you should feel about something.
• Your wedding is YOURS. Don’t do things you don’t want to do in it.
• If someone doesn’t want to be in your wedding, they shouldn’t be.

What’s your take? Have you watched The Drama? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message on my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀