The Drama Review: Messy and Mismatched!

Falling in love is easy. It is the process many of us have felt after meeting someone new, getting to know them, and enjoying their company more and more, to the point where a relationship blossoms and falling for one another is just the icing on the cake. As much as we think we love and know someone, one never truly knows someone fully. We fall in love with the person we know at the time, unaware of some of their past. This begs the question, is love enough to conquer even the darkest of secrets?

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Kristoffer Borgli, whose past films have included Sick of Myself and Dream Scenario starring Nicholas Cage, has written a film that tests this idea by hiring one of the most beloved and talented actresses Zendaya. It is almost impossible not to be swept up by her charisma in all of her films, making her the perfect person to portray Emma as she gets ready for her upcoming wedding to Charlie.

But, when a disturbing secret comes to light during a drunken game with Emma and Charlie’s friends Rachel and Mike, Charlie must decide if he is willing to put the past behind them or marry a woman he may not truly know. The Drama has the makings of an intriguing premise with sure star power to lead it. But, Borgli opts for a surface level exploration of identity and relationships with little to say about its leads or the social topic at hand.

The Drama knows how to bring it. But, once the film reveals its cards, it hits a full stop that leaves the audience ready to get started. What the film does instead is idle out, never ramping up its premise as soon as the secret is revealed. When Charlie discovers Emma’s past, Borgli dances around the central ideas the film is attempting to discuss rather than tackling them head on.

Seeing the image of your partner slowly diminish upon learning about their secrets and the difficulty of who you thought they were versus who they are are two major topics at hand in The Drama. What Borgli does instead is have scene after scene of Charlie thinking about Emma’s past day after day, filling the screen with visions of her possible character flaws. Rather than going in depth to explore whether Emma’s present characteristics shows signs of her past self, this film opts for a script that never decides to explore its own central questions.

Borgli’s directing of the film is unamusing, possessing little creative style or technique to enhance its plot or characters. It constantly creates shots and angles that go from character to character as they speak to one another in conversation. The use of space in the film is nonexistent, filming in rooms, on the street, and in Emma and Charlie’s home. The film wants to feel rooted in their lives together physically without going there emotionally or stylistically with Borgli’s directing.

The film’s tone feels extremely off kilter, not knowing whether it wants to feel like a dark comedy because of its own seriousness that constantly takes over. This would be fine if The Drama was going for a dark, head-on exploration of its themes, but it also wants to be a dark comedy on relationships, which it never lands. Borgli is constantly trying to make us feel conflicted but its identity crisis as to what it wants to be as a film makes the audience feel neutral to any character arcs it is attempting to create.

One of The Drama’s biggest issues is its indecisiveness as to whether it wants the film to be about the consequences of Emma’s truth in her and Charlie’s relationship or the truth at hand. The secret that Emma exposes is one that corresponds to a timely socio-political issue in modern times. Despite the gravity of her confession, the film constantly goes back and forth between how the couple reacts and acts after Emma’s confession and the socio-political issue as a whole. In this, the audience doesn’t know whether Borgli is trying to make a statement on the issue itself or if he is solely utilizing it as a plot device.

As a result, The Drama feels like two halves of a larger film, never landing either end. There is too much effort being put on the socio-political issue rather than how it impacts their relationship and vice versa. Borgli never commits to either theme, leaving the film incomplete. The Drama will spark conversation amongst its audience because of the drama it brings up but the hollow exploration of it leaves the conversation right where it started.

‘The Drama (2026)’ Rating – 2/5

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Stephanie Young

Senior Associate Writer at Just for Movie Freaks

Stephanie is a huge film fanatic, a librarian, and a baker! And when she isn't busy doing these activities, she is running around with her Australian Cattle Dog!

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