Kristoffer Borgli’s latest film, ‘The Drama,’ now streaming on HBO Max, delves into the murky waters of morality, judgment, and forgiveness, presenting a narrative that is likely to spark conversations among viewers. The movie centers on Emma Harwood (Zendaya) and Charlie Thompson (Robert Pattinson), a couple whose seemingly loving relationship is tested in the days leading up to their wedding.
The film opens with Charlie spotting Emma at a Boston cafe. He attempts to impress her by pretending to know the book she is reading. His initial attempt falls flat when she doesn’t hear him, but a subsequent apology leads to a connection. Years later, as Charlie works on his wedding vows, he recalls their first meeting and Emma’s subsequent forgiveness when he confessed he hadn't read the book. Flashbacks depict their relationship as loving, fun, and sexually healthy.
A Shared Dark Past
The couple attends a dinner with Charlie’s best man, Mike (Mamoudou Athie), and Emma’s maid of honor, Rachel (Alana Haim). During the evening, Charlie and Emma mention seeing their wedding DJ smoking heroin. While Charlie wants to fire the DJ, Emma hesitates, questioning whether a single instance defines someone as a “bad person” and suggesting it could have been her worst day.
This leads to a discussion where each person shares the worst thing they have ever done. Mike recounts using his girlfriend as a human shield against a stray dog. Rachel tells of locking her mentally disabled neighbor in an RV closet overnight as a teenager. Charlie admits to cyberbullying a classmate to the point where the family moved away.
Emma then reveals that at 15, she “almost did a school shooting.” She had brought her father's rifle to school with a plan, and confessed that she lost hearing in one ear while practicing with it, contradicting her earlier explanation to Charlie that she had been deaf in that ear since birth. The revelation shocks Charlie and Mike, while Rachel, whose cousin was paralyzed in a school shooting, reacts with intense anger. Emma attempts an apology but becomes sick at the table, and Rachel storms out with Mike.
Doubts and Deceptions
The following day, Mike advises Charlie to end the relationship, deeming Emma a “psychopath” and offering to involve the police or resort to violence. Charlie returns to Emma, who pleads with him to forget her confession. However, Charlie finds her explanation unsatisfying. He seeks a traumatic backstory or PTSD as a justification for her actions, but Emma states she was merely drawn to the aesthetic of holding a gun and the online attention it garnered. She ultimately did not proceed with her plan because another shooting occurred in her town’s mall, leading her to join an anti-gun advocacy group for validation and connection.
Despite his love for Emma, Charlie experiences doubts, obsessively picturing the shooting and seeing her in violent contexts. He attempts to rationalize her past by speculating about a childhood car accident that killed her neighbor, but Emma dismisses this as irrelevant to her plan. Meanwhile, Rachel ends her friendship with Emma and declares she will not attend the wedding. Charlie tries to defend Emma to both Rachel and Mike, pointing out Rachel’s hypocrisy given her own past actions and fabricating a story that Emma witnessed her best friend die in a car crash. This fabricated trauma appears to soften Rachel and Mike’s stance, though Rachel remains angry.
Charlie, increasingly distressed, rewrites his vows and breaks down crying when a coworker tells him she would call the police if her boyfriend had planned a school shooting. He then aggressively kisses the coworker in his office before stopping himself.
Just hours before the wedding, Emma confronts the DJ about his drug use. Roles are reversed, with Charlie wanting to overlook it while Emma insists on holding him accountable. She ultimately fires him.
A Public Confession and Reconciliation
During the wedding reception, Emma, anxious about the spreading story of her past, confronts Misha, the coworker Charlie kissed. Misha, assuming Emma knows about the affair, reveals that Charlie kissed her but that it meant nothing.
Charlie delivers his wedding speech, which is awkward and strained. He confesses to the guests that he doesn’t deserve Emma and apologizes for kissing Misha, declaring his love for her and stating he wouldn’t care even if she had killed someone. The situation escalates when Misha’s boyfriend attacks Charlie. A bloodied Charlie goes to a late-night diner, where Emma, still in her wedding dress, finds him.
Charlie apologizes tearfully. Emma offers him a chance to “start over,” mirroring their initial meeting. A relieved Charlie accepts, and the film concludes with the understanding that both are willing to forgive and move forward together.
‘The Drama’ challenges conventional notions of morality, examining how individuals defy simple categorization as “good” or “bad.” The film contrasts thoughts with actions, highlighting that Emma, despite her past intentions, has not committed a violent act, unlike the actual transgressions of other characters. The movie suggests that people are more complex than narrative archetypes allow, questioning whether there is always a clear, satisfying explanation for human behavior or if morality itself is far more intricate.