Kristoffer Borgli’s The Drama is an original, unconventional love story that sticks out beautifully in a sea of rom-com sameness.
Content Warning: This piece discusses key themes and plot points of The Drama
The Drama begins with a meet-cute. A museum curator named Charlie (Robert Pattinson) approaches a young woman (Zendaya) reading a book at a café. He hasn’t read it, but tells her he has. She’s unresponsive, her nose buried in her book. After a few minutes, she finally notices him from the side of her eye. Apparently, this young woman, Emma, is deaf in one ear and couldn’t hear anything with her earphones on. She finds the situation—and the boy—cute. “Do you want to start again?” she says with a grin.
Ahhhh, the typical beginnings of a rom-com. We think we’re in for a cutesy story of boy meets girl. And as the format usually promises, the boy will lose the girl, and then win her back. But just a few short minutes into The Drama, you begin to realize you’re probably not getting a typical romantic comedy after all. Big stars and meet-cute aside, the frantic editing, creative sound design, and unhinged mood very quickly make it clear that this is anything but a standard rom-com. It’s going to be a dramatic train wreck…and we’re seated.
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When The Drama Actually Lands
When I say “train wreck,” I mean it as a compliment. Especially in a film that promises drama from the get-go (just look at the title). So few studio-made love stories nowadays take real artistic swings, with “rom-coms” (especially the Netflix kind) following cookie-cutter formulas so closely that the genre has become a bit stale. Thankfully, writer-director Kristoffer Borgli, with the help of horror master Ari Aster (who serves as a producer), doesn’t go that route. Instead, they deliver something wonderfully complex, unconventionally funny, and incredibly stressful. Something that actually sticks out in a sea of sameness.
Without spoiling much, because the element of surprise is really what makes this film work, The Drama follows Charlie and Emma, who, in the drunken wine-tasting days leading up to their wedding, reveal the worst thing they’ve each ever done through a game. While meek little Charlie’s confession feels relatively tame, Emma’s is…not. It’s shocking enough to completely rattle him, sending him into a spiral of doubt and fear as the wedding looms closer.
For a film like this to work, “the secret” has to really land—and trust me, it does. It’s such an unexpected, uncomfortable choice that more sensitive viewers might find it a bit too much, and I wouldn’t even blame them. The subject matter is very of-the-moment, and might strike the wrong chord with some audiences, especially those who’ve experienced something similar themselves or through someone close to them. However, it’s exactly that boldness that pushes The Drama into wild, compelling territory, making it feel like a genuinely unique take on the modern rom-com…albeit a very dark one.
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A Modern Love Story
In some ways, The Drama reminded me of Materialists, a film I didn’t really like. Both are A24 projects that come from buzzy young filmmakers, and both promise a more complex look at modern relationships with big stars at the center. But while Materialists tried (and even threw in a wild subplot to feel deeper than it was), The Drama actually succeeds. Borgli handles the film’s tonal shift from dark comedy to something genuinely disturbing with surprising control, and ends up saying something sharper about modern relationships: how intimacy today is often built on unstable ground, and how we don’t really know our partners as well as we think we do.
Borgli also does a better job at creating fully formed characters, unlike the more caricatured ones in Materialists. The people in The Drama aren’t always likable, but they’re interesting. The central relationship is provocative and well-thought-out, which makes you want to stay with them even as things get messy. And it’s all enhanced by Borgli’s filmmaking: his use of sound design and editing elevates this beyond a run-of-the-mill character study into something far more immersive and unsettling.
And what about the stars? Pattinson is excellent as Charlie, the unraveling, meek museum curator. We all know he’s a great actor, but there’s something about his work here—no heavy makeup, no showy accent—that really reminds you how versatile he is. He makes Charlie feel like a real, sincere human being, and watching his slow descent is absolutely fascinating. He’s so controlled, yet constantly on the edge of falling apart.
Zendaya is very good here, too, although I wish she had more to do. However, that’s not really her fault; the film just seems more interested in Charlie and his reaction to “the secret.” Would I have loved to see more from her? Absolutely. Her choice of roles (beyond franchise films) has been really interesting, and she’s shaping up to be such a compelling leading lady for this generation. You can’t exactly fault Borgli’s screenplay for her smaller presence, either. It’s so focused, tight, and singular in its perspective that you kind of understand why it plays out this way.
Many rom-coms are about “the drama” of relationships, but this one puts that idea on steroids. That big swing, paired with strong filmmaking, originality, and great performances, makes The Drama something truly worth watching. We go back to that idea of a train wreck: it’s tragic, it’s crazy, but we simply cannot look away.
“The Drama” opens in cinemas on April 4.
Photos courtesy of Pioneer Films and A24
Frequently Asked Questions
At its core, The Drama is about a couple on the verge of marriage whose relationship begins to unravel after a shocking confession. What starts as a playful game quickly spirals into something darker, exposing how fragile intimacy can be when built on secrets.
The Drama opens in Philippine cinemas on April 4, 2026.
The film stars Robert Pattinson and Zendaya as the central couple, delivering performances that are both grounded and quietly intense.
Yes—especially if you’re looking for something bold and a little unsettling. It’s not your typical rom-com, but its sharp writing, strong direction, and compelling performances make it a standout.
