Official Discussion - The Drama [SPOILERS]

Just wanted to say that the wedding aesthetic was on point. Venue looked incredible - tasteful and elegant.  I wonder how much money is Emma supposed to be making, because Charlie is a museum director and surely that doesn't pay enough for him to afford that ceremony...? I know it was not the point of the movie but I was wondering.

Lovely film, but man, Rachel was insufferable! What Emma planned to do was absolutely horrific, but what Rachel actually did was awful! And at least Emma seemed to feel guilt about her past. I didn’t really feel a sense of regret or hurt from Rachel about what she did to that poor boy.

Honestly way funnier than i expected! I am still wondering who put the e***** gun book on Charlie's desk at work. The gradual ramping up of tension was masterful. I was amazed how much further they were able to take it even after the revelation of Emma's plan... I also find it interesting that the movie doesn't make a final moral judgment on whether or not Emma should be forgiven

Wow, what a film. Zendaya and Pattinson were amazing. Loved a lot of the shots. Surprisingly funny. I was anxious the whole time and not sure of how it could end / where I’d land in terms of liking it, but for me it clicked when I realized that Charlie only truly understands how to process his feelings about Emma’s past when he himself does the most horrible thing he’s ever done and has it blow up in his face. Alana Haim does a great job of holding a mirror up to the viewer’s impulse to judge Emma without really looking at their *own* past actions and the ways they’ve forgiven / excused themselves. A scene that I doubt will get much focus, but I really liked, was when they confront the DJ. You start to realize she’d be a damn good DJ and her own personal struggles would have no effect on it. I also wasn’t even sure that it was her on the street earlier. Very thought provoking. I think a lot of the film’s best points and parts will be lost in (what I expect to be) reductive discourse about school shooters. Sometimes, art uses the extremes to hold a mirror to reality. For me, I left the theater thinking about my own mistakes and regrets and how I’ve come to terms with them. Other people can decide you’re not worth having in their life or forgiving, but you can’t do that to yourself. You must keep on living. All you can do is look squarely at your own actions, make amends, apologize to people when possible, and truly work on being a better person. You prove that you’re worth forgiving by acting — by leading a better life. On the other side of the same coin, it’s okay if people decide to get off your train. You’ve got to let them go. It’s how I’ve reached peace with myself. I’d rather be someone who makes mistakes, but acknowledges the harm I’ve caused and becomes a better person (Zendaya) than be Alana Haim’s character and ignore any wrongdoing by using “not having bad intentions” as a get out of jail free card

I try to stick with my personal rule of "First trailer only, then media blackout as much as possible." And, hoo boy, A24's marketing team did a stellar job of keeping things under wraps. This was a unique take on the school shooter perspective in my opinion: If someone planned to do it, but had a change of heart and never went through with it, how would society view them? Watching the three main people in her life handle things in a completely different way was truly fascinating to watch. And holy hell, the steadily building tension throughout the entire film was incredible. Two major standout moments: Emma approaching Charlie about the mug with the knife in her hand so nonchalantly...to her, but a potential death sentence in his mind. And the wedding speech with the DJ dropping the cables, sounding *exactly* like a gunshot. Hell yes, I jumped, because of course I did. My knuckles were bone white. And the acting was fantastic. Watching Zendaya and Pattinson go through a whole smorgasbord of emotions, to huge, grandiose displays, to subtle, bubbling under the service expressions (Zendaya's face and mannerisms during the food tasting in the first half) was such a treat. I have no idea what the general audience reaction is gonna be towards this but I had a great time with it.

Can we talk about how Charlie's coworker admitted that the worst thing she has ever done was cheated and 10 minutes later was ready to do it again with Charlie lmao. Girl had zero shame

Wow, this movie had me tense the entire time. I was genuinely filled with anxiety from start to finish. Carlie and Emma’s wedding especially had me so uncomfortable for them, like pure secondhand embarrassment the whole time. I agree with a lot of people here… Rachel was honestly awful. She couldn’t see past her own issues at all, and it just made everything worse. And Robert Pattinson’s acting? Easily one of the best performances I’ve seen in a long time. You could feel every bit of his anxiety, confusion, and emotional spiral. He carried so much of the tension in this movie.

Having bartended at clubs and bars for a decade, the replacement Dj was so f****** funny to me. I was the only one in my theater who laughed at his lines. Took me instantly back to having to listen to them talk about themselves and their equipment.

Really devilish little film that I enjoyed more than I thought I would. Post modern rom-com where the big issue isn’t about in-laws or cold feet but mass murder. This worked on a lot of levels but most importantly the comedy hit and it closed with an emotional final scene. Still has the bones of a rom-com but the stakes have changed since When Harry Met Sally

That feedback sound that sounded like a gunshot during the climax, I can’t remember the last time I jumped this hard from a jumpscare in a movie.

Really a film about forgiveness of self and others. How much can you accept someone’s redemption, when to distance yourself from someone, and how much time is needed to do so. Honestly such a great thought provoking movie about those topics and what lines you would draw with someone due to their actions

When the dj messed up the speaker and it sounded like a gun shot my whole theater gasped then was laughing. Packed theater it was a good time

Look, when *I* was 15, I was writing fanfiction and smut on some dark corners of the internet. I wouldn't blame my partner if they had a mental breakdown at that knowledge.

So this movie was deep. Bullying someone has severe effects on people, and look how it echoed into her life and almost ruined her marriage. Yes, what she planned to do was wrong, but that is how far people get into their depression, we need to put mental health at the forefront of our society. The acting was incredible, for Emma and Charlie to have to fake through all of those rehearsals and events prior to their wedding was brutal, and the way the faked those smiles was absolutely perfect. I have been there, when there is something so serious going on under the surface, but have to smile like you mean it is brutal. Adored this film so much.

If someone knows the name of the song they play when Charlie is upset please let me know!

We really enjoyed it! Nearly every group that left the theatre was still intensely discussing the premise and what they would do if their partner revealed that to them. A great reflection on forgivess for yourself and judgement of others in the same breath.

This shit wouldn’t even have been 1/4 as bad if it wasn’t for Haim’s character. I don’t think Ive hated a character this viscerally since Ramsay Bolton.

The more I think about it, the more I like it. Feel like there is a lot that can be taken away from the film. Also, Rachel was awful.

I really liked this and noticed the parallel with the DJ situation was interesting. They allegedly see the DJ smoking heroin and both Emma and Charlie initially decide it’s not a big enough deal to fire her because it was a chance spotting. They figure had they never known and if she does a good job then who cares. But their friends convince them that since they do know, they should fire her from a moral stand point. We see the DJ prepping and she sounds talented but then they fire her anyway and end up with a shitty DJ situation at their wedding. Similarly, had Charlie never known about Emma’s past, their wedding would’ve gone off without a hitch and they probably could’ve lived happily ever after in bliss. But Charlie does find out through a random game that happens to be brought up by chance by their same friends which leads to a myriad of events that basically ruin their relationship and wedding. All this to say, whoever said “ignorance is bliss” dropped a bar lol

I how sincere the ending is. With stuff like this and Project Hail Mary I'm all up for these kind of messages.

I heard that the father of a Columbine victim was condemning this movie a few days ago, and it made me wonder, “WTF is The Drama about?” Even knowing that context, I did not see that reveal coming from a million miles away. I feel like I’m going to be thinking about the scenario in The Drama for a few days at least. While watching, I sympathized with Emma because she was being villainized over something she *did not* act on, regardless of the reason behind not going through with it. She eventually came to her senses and became an anti-gun activist. HOWEVER, if my partner ever told me that he considered shooting up his school, I do not know if I would be able to look past that. I also thought that Rachel’s and Charlie’s stories were horrifying (Rachel’s more so). When someone asks what Rachel would have done if he wasn’t found, she says she would have fessed up eventually, but I do not buy that for a second. She panicked immediately after locking the child in. She was still freaked out about the consequences when his father came asking around about him. Imagine if the search party did not find him after a day. I feel like her head would be spiraling about what would happen to her if she finally confessed and would ultimately have chosen not to say anything. Because of that, I was surprised when she was furious at Emma for planning a school shooting that she ultimately did not go through with. I get that her cousin was a victim of gun violence, but can you imagine if Rachel had told that story to someone who has a close one with special needs? I’m glad Charlie eventually called her out on that. I think Charlie’s story was also interesting because he bullied someone badly enough that they moved somewhere else. The bullying had to have been *pretty* bad for it to have gotten to that point. Charlie’s actions *could* have led to the kid feeling so isolated and angry at the world to the point where he could have contemplated bringing a gun to school and killing his peers. I mean, that is essentially what happened to Emma. There are so many what ifs where I feel like we mostly know the answers. What if nobody had found the kid that Rachel has locked away? Would she eventually reveal where the kid was? I think absolutely not. What if the kid Charlie had bullied never moved away? Would he eventually have committed a violent act when he had enough? What if the first shooting hadn’t happened the same day Emma was thinking about going through with her plan? Would she still have gone through with it? I think this is the only one where we truly cannot say. Even though she brought the rifle to school, there’s still a huge possibility she would have gotten cold feet anyways. I think her the other shooting was the out she was looking for. Also, how TF did she bring a rifle to school without anyone noticing? Because that definitely would not have fit in her backpack for her to be able to conceal it. I also wonder how she explained away becoming deaf in one ear to her parents.

God, Rachel was the absolute f****** worst. What a complete b**** of a person.

THAT DJ GAVE ME THE BIGGEST JUMPSCARE OF THE YEAR 😭😭 man I really really liked this movie. Funny thing, if the twist had never been spoiled, I would never have gone to seen it.

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All my homies hate Rachel.

I gotta say, I really got some hearty laughs out of this movie. It’s really been a minute since such a dark comedy got me to laugh like this and for that I appreciate what’s going on here. I think this is a very interesting movie that has a lot to chew on, but what really pushed it over the edge for me is that it’s just a wild ride that unravels these characters so thoroughly that by the end I was pulling my hair out at all the bad decisions being made. Some people at my screening seemed to not care for the cringe/anxiety fest but I love when a movie can make me feel something so strongly. Dream Scenario is a movie I liked but I felt it was too broad in its themes to really get its message across, but I do find it paired with The Drama interesting because both movies are, among other things, about cancellation to put a general term on it. And while DS felt too unrealistic to have weight, here Borgli has zoomed in on one very specific situation and explores all the ins and outs, all the crazy feelings involved. I think this movie talks about these things in a much more interesting way, but before I dive into spoilers I will say that I think you do yourself a disservice reading too much about this movie if you plan to see it. Half the fun really is being blindsided like Pattinson’s character and going on the journey with him. What’s interesting about this movie is that it sets up kind of a moral conundrum. These young ~~New York~~ East Coast progressives are kind of confronted with something that they just can’t really comprehend. That someone they considered one of them had once very seriously considered doing a school shooting. Everyone else at the table has already said the worst thing they’ve ever done and one of the interesting aspects is that theirs were very reactionary, they didn’t plan them. They also actually went through with theirs, which Emma did not. So right away you have a table of people who have actually caused harm to other people judging someone for considering it, but the difference is that Emma’s was heavily pre-meditated. This movie is juxtaposing these scenarios and asking us to parse out which you could or couldn’t live with in your partner and, of course, there’s no real answer. But it makes for a great ride of moral wringing and anxious reactions. The comedy in this movie isn’t necessarily subtle, the editing is going insane to present you with images that are both disturbing and hilarious. Pattinson doing a photoshoot with his bride as a teenager holding a rifle. The same teen recording her manifesto about why she killed her classmates and being interrupted by early 00s Winows error messages. Hell, there’s a scene where it flashes to a child dying in a car accident and because of the context half the theater laughed out loud. I just thought this movie was very clever and funny in that way, very confident to really “go there” with some of these scenes and still get the laugh. It’s worth mentioning this is clearly an “acting forward” movie. The performances really make it. From Zendaya’s immediate regret that she shared this and her spending the movie knowing she can’t take it back and scared more people will find out about something she didn’t even do to Robert Pattinson, who clearly has barely every jaywalked in his life let alone pre-meditated murder, trying to decide if he can be with someone who has. And even more entertainingly, if he can still be honest about loving her. Him editing the wedding speech was amazing. I really thought this movie had an interesting angle on people who are connected/married/related to someone getting canceled and how they’re kind of put in this position to have to defend them or keep reminding people to remember the person. And I loved that he basically does his “worst thing you’ve ever done” in retaliation to learning about hers, as if he’s afforded some leeway to cheat then. He plays all of that so well. Even Alaina Haim just has the perfect bitchy face for this role, she’s so high and mighty about her disgust the whole movie despite the fact that she basically kidnapped the slow kid in her neighborhood for a day. I just found so much to enjoy here. I think some people will hear about the twist before or focus on how good of a “twist” it is overall because the marketing so heavily hid it, but it’s not really about that for me. I think the reveal adds another layer to this movie, as far as the divide between big city progressives and gun owners and how common mass shootings are in America yet the understood assumption that no one you actually know is capable of it. But even beyond that, this is just an interesting situation to think about, it’s done in a really darkly comical way, and the wedding climax is some of the hardest I’ve cringed in a theater in years. 8/10 for me. Also, quick shoutout to Zoe Winters. I liked her performance in The Materialists because it was so heavy but she shows up for a coupe of scenes here and really has great comedic timing. She was perfect in the "Then we shoot mom and dad, then we shoot the siblings..." scene.

Haven’t had anxiety during a scene like the wedding since The Bear’s fishes episode. Went into this movie with no prior knowledge and i’m glad I did

Robert Pattinson out there churning out Die My Love and The Drama in quick succession is wild. Gotta love the little british freak.

Such a well made film with kind of a nothing of an admission. Emma's apparent thought crime became less abhorrent than how dismantling bullying and gossip can be. As, to be honest, of the friends admission, Rachel's was clearly the most egregious and I, also, felt that Charlie potentially had either done something similarly heinous or thought about it. Especially with his discussion with his coworker; he cannot figure out the worst thing hes done as there are many options. I don't think he'd have cared as much if she shared it with him only. I felt like the sanctimonious reaction by Rachel is moreso what cause Charlie to spiral rather than Emma's secret. As that later revolves into Rachel and her husband proclaiming that Emma must be a psychopath and Mike softly suggesting that Charlie call off the wedding?? It really seems moreso focused on how perception by others can really make or break a person. Charlie isn't distressed by Emma's secret alone but by how it might reflect on him and their relationship. If Emma's isn't this bastion of goodness and light to his friends, then how must that reflect on him? He's so wrapped up on how others might judge her thought, that any adverse reaction is his undoing. We see it with his friends, with his coworker and with Emma herself. Only once the worst of the worst happens, his actions essentially blowing up his wedding, does he come to realize that the bullshit doesn't matter. Only Emma does.

A fun, anxious ride for just under two hours. Original, somewhat though provoking… Be real - given the situation, are you staying with your partner or leaving?

Why is not mentioning that a big part of Charlie’s character is that he’s a straight up liar who doubles down? It’s what I liked about his character and explains why he’s like that. In their first meeting and first date, The car accident story, the coffee mug, during the sex scene and even to himself with him getting horny over the gun aesthetic photos in his office this dude just straight up lies all the time. The only time he tells the truth without caveats is when he’s talking in her deaf ear and in his speech and he’s so bad at it,that it blows everything up. Pair that with Emma being afraid of any confrontation or conflict at all to the point she will divert it rather than actually tackling the issue was an interesting dynamic. I think a big part of the movie is the fake reality they’ve both sort of invented. I think that a lot of the stuff we see from the past is not certain and at best is a massaged version of real events. When we know for a fact that Charlie is lying about the car crash it still visualises it on screen like every other story he tells. The whole discussion about the book and whether the ending was real (and I swear one of them says was any of it real?) feels like the movie drawing attention to this idea but I’m seeing no one talking about it? Maybe I’m just not seeing it but it’s why I enjoyed the movie. I’d have to rewatch the film but I also have a theory about Emma that ties into this I could go into about her character and how the film might be doing something bigger than anyone’s noticing but I’d have to confirm a few details first lol.

God this was so good. I loved Sick of Myself and this was even better.

This movie was way better than it had any right to be. The audience I was with made it that even more fun as they were laughing a lot and it always feels nice to experience comedies in theaters with others laughing next to you. There were moments when people didn’t want to laugh due to how awkward it was. There was a dude close to me who was cracking up when Rachel started freaking out on Emma about how her cousin was a victim of a shooting which honestly kind of made it pretty hilarious to me as well even though it was supposed to be a serious moment.  Loved the performances and it was all around just a fun film despite being about such a heavy and serious topic which I thought was an overall nice twist on the typical rom com formula. Genuinely funny moments like them talking about the DJ doing heroin and even Emma’s reasons for wanting to commit the shooting considering the bullying seemed so tame and her talking about the whole aesthetic of a shooter which illustrated the pointlessness and selfishness of mass shootings. Her correcting the teacher about there being women shooters was interesting and also pretty funny talking about the Monday song and talking about how she ended up becoming an activist.  It’s wild to me and intriguing all at the same time how a line as disturbing as “Julie, you’re gonna die first” can get such a huge laugh at the audience. But I truly feel like that’s a sign of good comedy when you can put up a mirror to society and have them laugh at something so serious which hopefully opens up the dialogue for the conversations we should be having. When watching this movie, I literally thought to myself “I feel like a lot of couples are going to come away from this film asking their partner what’s the worst thing they ever did” I actually was thinking to myself what’s the worst thing I ever did and would I be comfortable sharing that with loved ones. Comedy that actually makes you think and not just laugh is the type of comedies we need.  All around  great film. Would definitely watch again and definitely plan on buying the blu ray when it comes out. Might even catch it a few more times in theaters as the preview just popped up on my tv as I write this and I’m just like damn I want to experience that again as soon as possible. 

I think Charlie and Emma will have a very happy marriage And Rachel and Mike will have a very unhappy rest of their marriage

Going in that movie could have been anything. Love the decision to take 1 theme and run with it and make it more of a compact package. Thought their chemistry was meh until the last scene that redeemed all of it

Really like it, it's very thought provoking! I also just watched The Dirties last week, and this premise kinda came into my mind. I couldn't believe it when it was revealed in this movie! The Dirties is a great double bill with The Drama.

The editing perfectly showed their intrusive thoughts and overall headspace. Took me a couple instances of them doing it but once I picked up on it I thought it was really well done

Lots and lots of thoughts on this movie so I’ll start with one of my favorite quotes from The Good Place which I think fits perfectly with the theme of this movie: “what matters isn’t if people are good or bad but if they’re trying to be a better person today than they were yesterday.” Emma absolutely learned from her (almost) terrible act and every day since was trying to make up for it. It doesn’t erase what she did but what she did also doesn’t erase all the growth she’s made since then.  It’s so interesting that when Charlie and Rachel talk about what they did they use the excuse of being kids as part of the reason and Mike even says “your brain wasn’t even developed yet” but when it comes to Emma they don’t give her that same grace and judge her as if she is talking about something from yesterday. Also Charlie cyber bullying someone so much that they possibly had to move away just gets glossed over as if that kind of behavior hasn’t led to the ideas that Emma had..? My takeaway from all of this was how quickly people want to categorize others and can’t live in complicated gray area that we all exist in.  Like in Rachel’s eyes at what would Emma be redeemed? She hadn’t even done anything even if the thought (and reason for not following through) are terrible. And she’d learned and advocated against it going forward. Is Rachel the kind of person that thinks prison should be for punishment only, not rehabilitation? And Emma hadn’t been punished enough? Or it didn’t matter what she did or how much time had passed, she’d always be defined by that one thing?  The DJ thing is an interesting microcosm of all of this because they never would’ve even 1. Had that discussion or 2. Fired the dj had they never seen her, if it was even her. But they fixated on it and that one act became who she was instead of considering all of the other evidence they had of her being a normal person and good dj. This mirrors the friends’ treatment of Emma because had they never found out they wouldn’t have ever suspected her being the “horrible” person they believed she was. And had she not defended the dj in the first place they never would’ve arrived at the discussion. Basically it all starts with them being too judgmental and Emma being kind (something Charlie claimed to love about her), and then that gets turned on Emma. The 3 most judgmental people vilifying the kindest person in the group. 

What do you mean the director dated a 16 year old when he was 26?

Dude the way they shot zendaya at the register out of focus at the end reaching into her jacket, that was intentional to make you think she was going to do a shooting right?

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Lady from Licorice Pizza kept ticking me off

Really one of the best experiences I have had with a movie in a while. I think it benefitted a lot from not showing everything in its marketing or trailers. I was able to share the collective “wait are you serious?” feeling when everyone was sharing the worst thing they’d ever done. I respect movies that basically have their conceit 15 minutes in and then the rest of the movie is the fallout of that conceit. It really is a movie about the romantic ideal of a person loving you, regardless of the person you may have been in the past. When Charlie commits infidelity with Micha, it also reinforces that question: are we defined by our worst moments? Like with Micha, it’s a case of “is it really true that once a cheater, always a cheater” just like Emma is questioned the entire movie whether she is capable of immense violence just because she once considered doing a school shooting.

The actress for young Emma would be perfect for an Ayo Edebiri biopic

Just watched & it was genuinely so good. Would watch again multiple times. It’s probably gonna be one of my new comfort movies. I think I may have been the only one in my showing laughing lol 4.5/5 also god Hailey gates is so fckn hot

The editing really surprised me! Really well thought out and put together

Rachel did it. Emma didn't. F*** Rachel. Team Emma all the way.

They all showed themselves to be shitty with how they were taking advantage of the tasting, imo. That being said, Rachel was the worst person not only for her story but also her disrespect for her husband and how nasty she was to Emma. She was probably jealous of her and finally had something she felt she could hold against her. I really liked how you could see Emma’s trepidation as the conversation moved around the table. Zendaya did a great job showing that shame before we even knew what it was.

Favorite move of the year. I was surprised by how much I laughed. It makes you think what would I do in that situation if my fiancé confessed that secret to me

This was such a stressful watch but also so funny? The irony of Alana haims character being against school shootings but mirroring the bullies that Emma had to put up with and ruining her Wedding. Great movie and loved the scene of Robert Pattinson dancing around all beat up after his life is in shambles

Thought I was going to see a goofy rom com... well f*** haha. Good movie overall. Love how they left a lot of it morally ambiguous. Zendaya and Pattinson were great together, but damn Pattinson has range.

Might be one of my top 5 of the decade and all time, absolute delight and I knew going in. I really loved the way it cut and showed what was going on in each others head. The theater experience was a 10/10 with the crowd laughing and gasping. The second movie this year to confront this subject matter and I feel as if both takes examine from unique angles we should be confronting ourselves.

Great movie but it made me feel weird because the entire time I was like “what’s the big deal” about the school shooting thing lol. If my spouse said that to me I think legit I would say “haha wow that’s crazy. Good thing you’re not like that anymore!” And maybe I’d do some light teasing but I just would not care and I probably wouldn’t even think about it much I think this movie will be fun to talk about with people. I’d love to hear other takes. None of my friends have seen it yet. Also acting in this movie is top notch. Great film

Honestly found this a bit feckless beyond the initial conceit. I got a hearty chuckle out of the surprise, for sure. They really went for it. But in general I didn’t think it was funny enough to convey the satire, and not nearly provocative enough for the premise. In the end it felt half baked. I wanted a bit more. I thought Pattinson was really great. It’s becoming a theme watching him carry movies like this. And I thought Zendaya was really good as well. Didn’t like it as much as I’d hoped, but came away with an overall positive experience. Could see myself digging in to scenes and bits and pieces as it seeps into social media and whatnot.

this movies SCREAMS “written by a white European man” because ain’t no f****** way she was Black and even considered it LMAO — that is white behavior Other than that this movie was pretty good and had some very interesting commentary as well as humor

I really didn’t like this film. The running gag of just puns about shooting was stale and unfunny after a certain point. Beautiful cinematography, but quite long and disturbing. It’s obvious the director was trying to comment on people being too morally self-righteous but in a lens that makes no sense.

I've never seen more marketing for a movie that I can remember

I was busting to see this and my Facebook algorithm must have known it, I got a random post appear from Yahoo that spoiled the majority of the film. I’ll still go and watch, just sending grumpy vibes to Yahoo for doing that lol

Robert Pattinson is the first co star I’ve seen Zendaya have chemistry. And dare I say she finally topped her Euphoria performance? Overall I thought it was a good movie and I definitely will watch again.

I feel myself torn about what the message is about fantasizing a school shooting. That it's more common than we think? But that doesn't make it okay... I understand it's unfortunately part of American culture now, but does having this movie out there push the narrative that it's acceptable and to have empathy for school shooters?