Robert Pattinson, the actor that you are. To be honest, when I first came out the screening I wasn’t too sure but while writing this, my thoughts have solidified more.
- Director – Kristoffer Borgli
- Runtime – 105 minutes
- Certificate – 15
- Country – United States
The first word that comes to mind to describe the film is messy. I think you could apply that word to any aspect of the film and it would be perfect. Normally this would be a criticism but here it’s intentional.
Most notably for me the editing. It is absolutely all over the place. Sometimes it works for the better but sometimes it is incredibly distracting and all I could think about is how erratic it was. Surprisingly, the editing is somewhat calmer in the third act when the chaos is at its height.
Speaking of, that third act reached a flow state that I haven’t seen in ages. Genuinely so much was going on and it all worked. It does lean into the comedic side as well here which also surprisingly worked, given the dark nature of the film – Pattinson’s groom speech (hilarious) and when Zendaya’s dad is giving his speech and at the end when the DJ set misfires. Not only did that make me jump a mile but had my whole screening laughing. Some really well timed jokes.
Messy can also be applied to the performances. Robert Pattinson what a star you are. What an incredible performance he gives here as Charlie. He is genuinely one of the funniest actors going. When he’s crying while they’re speaking to the DJ, I was dying. Zendaya also gives an amazing performance as Emma, offering a more vulnerable and honest one with her situation.
I still cannot believe there are people doubting she is a movie star.
However one performance sticks out. Alana Haim’s Rachel. Whatever you think about her or the character she definitely does a good job. Her character is genuinely interesting. Extremely annoying but interesting. I feel she represents a lot of people nowadays where they sit up on a high horse pretending they have a good moral compass when they are just as bad. She could actually make for a great character study. The film does touch up on her flaws but only briefly.
The main subject is obviously very sensitive, I won’t delve into specifics because I should be able to review this without. I am quite surprised with how they treated this. There’s a level of maturity and understanding here. I can totally see why people don’t particularly like the direction they go in but I didn’t mind it. They explore themes of does one action define a person and can people actually change.
These questions send Robert Pattinson into turmoil. He knows what she did is horrible but yet he still loves her and believes that she has changed. The scene where he asks Misha’s (Hailey gates) opinion and she says exactly what most people say was so well done and Pattinson’s acting was superb.
The film really thrives in this vulnerability and honesty that reflects in the actual filmmaking. Again the editing, while polarising, is intentional and that goes for everything. When there isn’t an outrageous cut the camera is almost always static, rarely any movement. That allows the viewer to really take in the emotional depths of these performances.
The Drama is an absolutely wild and stressful ride that invokes many conversations with its social commentary and emotionally layered performances from Pattinson and Zendaya.
The Drama is still playing in cinemas.