---
title: "The Drama"
year: 2026
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-drama"
fi1m_id: "the-drama"
imdb_id: "tt33071426"
tmdb_id: 1325734
wikidata_id: "Q130590402"
fi1m_score: 65
critics_score: 71
critics_reviews: 19
published: "2026-09-09"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:37:44.334405+00:00"
region: "CL"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Drama (2026)

Directed by Kristoffer Borgli · 1h 45m · CCC 14 · Romance, Comedy, Drama

## Identity

The Drama

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-drama
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** the-drama
- **IMDb ID:** tt33071426
- **TMDB ID:** 1325734
- **Wikidata ID:** Q130590402
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33071426/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1325734, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q130590402

**Fi1m score: 65** · Critics 71 from 19 reviews

*In a sentence:* One drunken confession, and Robert Pattinson spends the rest of the film trying to swallow a wasp

> Kristoffer Borgli’s wedding comedy has one scene that will make you want to walk out and two leads who make you stay. What follows is smaller and safer than the thing that set it off, and the film seems to know it.

## Synopsis

Emma (Zendaya) and Charlie (Robert Pattinson) are a well-off couple in Boston, a few days from their wedding and, as far as anyone can tell, happy. At an evening with friends, a drinking game runs a round longer than it should, and Emma tells Charlie something about her past that he did not know. The film follows the week that remains: the friends, among them Rachel (Alana Haim) and Mike (Mamoudou Athie), the preparations that carry on regardless, and the question of whether the ceremony will happen at all. Written, directed and co-edited by Kristoffer Borgli, with Ari Aster among the producers, it runs 105 minutes and carries a 15 certificate.

## Review

Kristoffer Borgli, after *Sick of Myself* (2022) and [*Dream Scenario*](https://film.one/film/dream-scenario) (2023), has made a romantic comedy with a hole in the middle, and the hole is the point. Emma (Zendaya) and Charlie (Robert Pattinson) are days from their wedding, well off, well liked, plainly fond of each other. A game with friends and a few drinks too many lead Emma to tell Charlie something about her past. We will not say what it is. For about forty minutes *The Drama* is the sharpest thing Borgli has made. Then it starts to look after itself.

The confession scene is the reason to go. Borgli writes it as a party game that runs one round too long, and he and his co-editor Joshua Raymond Lee hold on the silence after each line for longer than is comfortable, then longer again. Arseni Khachaturan keeps the camera close enough that we can watch people decide what their faces should do. We watched it through our fingers and laughed, and did not much like ourselves for laughing; the laugh comes from the friends, not the couple, from a table of adults working out in real time whether they are allowed to leave. Daniel Pemberton’s score is a nervous, plucked thing that never quite settles, and it is used sparingly, mostly well.

Pattinson plays Charlie as a man who has to go on being reasonable while every part of him objects. He agrees to things and then re-runs the agreement in his head in the next shot; he keeps smiling at people who have nothing to do with any of it. It is a twitchy performance in a film that needs one, and it is funny without asking to be. Zendaya has the harder job. Emma will not apologise in the way Charlie wants, and Zendaya plays her as someone who did her thinking about this years ago and is watching him catch up. We believed they had been together a long time.

Alana Haim’s Rachel is pitched to grate, and does; she says out loud what the rest of the table is thinking, and the film brings her in whenever the temperature drops. Mamoudou Athie’s Mike is the steadier presence, a man who would like everyone to calm down and knows they will not. Zosia Mackenzie gives the couple the pale, wide rooms of people who have never worried about money, and Katina Danabassis dresses the wedding party in clothes that look expensive and are meant to. The Boston locations are handsome, and we could have done with more of the city and less of the kitchen.

The trouble is what the film does with what it has done. Having set off something unforgivable, it spends its second half asking whether it can be forgiven, and it asks in the shape of an ordinary wedding comedy, with the beats arriving roughly where you would expect them. There is a speech late on that had the people around us groaning, and it is a good scene, but by then the film has been arguing with itself for half an hour and arriving at the conclusion a gentler film would have reached without the argument. The confession raises things about who is allowed a past and who is not, and Borgli picks them up, looks at them, and sets them down. Around the seventy-minute mark we noticed we had stopped being uncomfortable and were merely interested.

Against his own record this is a middle result. *Sick of Myself* took one ugly idea and followed it all the way down without once looking away. *Dream Scenario* went soft in its last act, and this does too, though from a higher starting point. Ari Aster is among the producers, and you can see why the material appealed to him.

See it with someone you have argued with; you will argue again on the way home, and that is a good part of the pleasure. Go in knowing as little as you can, and do not let anyone tell you the thing Emma says, because the film’s better half depends on hearing it cold. It runs 105 minutes and carries a 15.

*Fi1m score 65, published 9 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics like The Drama, but the spread is wide and the disagreement is about whether the film earns its premise. Nearly everyone agrees on the leads: Zendaya and Pattinson are praised throughout, with several reviews saying their chemistry keeps the film watchable when the ideas wobble. Kristoffer Borgli’s talent for discomfort is the other point of agreement; the drunken confession and the wedding speeches are repeatedly singled out as the scenes people will argue about afterwards.

The reservations cluster around what follows the early revelation. Several reviews find the final act more conventional than the setup, and a few think the film never justifies its central idea. The dissenters go further. Vulture argues the racial and social dynamics are handled superficially and calls the result cowardly, the Financial Times finds it nervously evasive, and The Telegraph sees thin laughs and characters it cannot care about. The middle ground calls it a talking point rather than a finished film.

## Straight answers

**Is The Drama worth watching?**

*The Drama* is worth watching for one superb confession scene and two leads who carry the rest, and we scored it 65. Robert Pattinson and Zendaya make a convincing long-term couple, but the second half settles into an ordinary wedding comedy that raises hard questions and sets them down again. Go in knowing as little as possible.

**How long is The Drama, and what is it rated?**

*The Drama* runs 1h 45m and is rated 14 by the CCC in Chile. It is a romance and comedy film.

**Where can I watch The Drama in Chile?**

*The Drama* is streaming on Amazon Prime Video in Chile, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from CLF 2.90. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is The Drama, and is it suitable for children?**

*The Drama* carries a 15 certificate in the UK and an R in the US, and it is not for children. There is nothing frightening or violent in it; the discomfort comes from a drunken confession between a couple days from their wedding, and from adults saying things they cannot take back. It suits older teenagers and anyone who can sit through a very awkward dinner.

**How does The Drama compare to The Celebration?**

*The Drama* and [*The Celebration*](https://film.one/film/the-celebration) both hinge on someone saying the unsayable at a gathering nobody can leave, but Thomas Vinterberg's film follows its damage all the way down while Kristoffer Borgli's pulls back into a gentler comedy. *The Celebration* is the stronger and more frightening of the two. *The Drama* is the easier evening, with Pattinson's twitchy performance the reason to choose it.

**What should I watch after The Drama?**

After *The Drama*, try [*Festen*](https://film.one/film/the-celebration) (1998, Fi1m 85): A speech at a family dinner does the damage, and nobody is allowed to leave. Then [*Force Majeure*](https://film.one/film/force-majeure) (2014, Fi1m 84): One moment of cowardice on a ski slope, and a marriage spends a week picking at it; and [*Rachel Getting Married*](https://film.one/film/rachel-getting-married) (2008, Fi1m 84): A wedding weekend where the past keeps turning up uninvited and the camera never looks away.

### Reviews we read (26)

- **Slant Magazine**, Rocco T. Thompson (3.5/4): The review calls the film a mercilessly uncomfortable and impudently funny black comedy that pushes Borgli's style to new limits with its shocking confession and public humiliation sequences. It commends the believable leads, grating supporting turn from Haim, and a sweet note that makes the provocations land effectively. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-drama-review-robert-pattinson-zendaya/)
- **Empire**, Emma Stefansky (85/100, inferred): The critic describes the film as often hilarious in a cruel way, praising Borgli’s skill at exploring how relationships fracture under pressure and the performances of Zendaya and Pattinson. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-drama/)
- **IndieWire**, David Ehrlich (B+): The review praises the film as a provocative, squirm-inducing rom-com that redefines the modern American love story with its early twist and social commentary. It highlights strong chemistry between Zendaya and Pattinson and the director's ability to blend discomfort with humor in a way that feels timely and bold. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-drama-movie-review-robert-pattinson-zendaya-1235186011/)
- **Little White Lies**, Hannah Strong (3/4/4): The review finds the high-profile casting and twist boost a mostly strong concept into one of the more piercingly well-observed relationship dramedies of recent years. Zendaya and Pattinson’s performances and the prickly take on modern romance are highlighted positively. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-drama)
- **The Independent** (80/100, inferred): The critic finds the film the most uncomfortable of the year but also provocative and compulsively watchable, praising its willingness to thrust love under scrutiny without spoon-feeding the audience. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/the-drama-review-zendaya-robert-pattinson-b2948988.html)
- **The Observer**, Wendy Ide (80/100, inferred): Borgli’s mordant, mortifying style produces a taboo-shattering, caustically funny dissection of a disintegrating romance that wears the glossy appearance of a romcom. The critic highlights the formidable performances by Zendaya and Pattinson as key to the film’s wit, daring and overall success. [Read](https://observer.co.uk/culture/film/article/the-drama-is-a-caustic-dissection-of-a-relationship-on-the-rocks)
- **Evening Standard**, India Block (75/100, inferred): The review calls it a dark American satire that hits its target, praising the bold handling of its controversial twist and the genuine romance of the ending scene. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-drama-review-zendaya-and-robert-pattinson-b1277224.html)
- **The Guardian** (75/100, inferred): The film is a contrived but amusing high-concept provocation from Kristoffer Borgli that successfully mixes romcom and thriller elements around a shocking pre-wedding revelation. The critic praises its spiky, ingenious style and notes it delivers on the promise of its title despite some weaknesses in the aftermath and ending. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/mar/31/the-drama-review-zendaya-robert-pattinson-wedding-film)
- **The Times** (75/100, inferred): Borgli’s wedding-from-hell dramedy is mordantly entertaining and features one of the most excruciating speeches in movie history. The critic praises how Pattinson and Zendaya excel in the cringe-out-loud satire. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/the-drama-review-robert-pattinson-and-zendaya-excel-in-cringe-out-loud-satire-qpl7rblx5)
- **Radio Times** (3/5): The review calls it a combustible and audacious blend of romcom and marital drama that pushes pre-wedding jitters to extremes, with the stars proving saving graces. The early twist and Borgli’s mischief-making are singled out, though the subject matter demands more sensitivity than delivered. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/the-drama-review-spoilers-robert-pattinson-zendaya/)
- **Time Out**, Larushka Ivan-Zadeh (60/100, inferred): The critic describes the film as a deliberately squirm-inducing exercise and the year’s most talked-about romcom, but questions if it is just clickbait. The grounded chemistry of the leads and Borgli’s delight in discomfort are noted, though it is ultimately called more of a talking point than a fully realised film. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-drama-review-2026)
- **Vulture** (35/100, inferred): The critic argues the film fails to commit to its provocative premise about a Black woman's past confession, handling racial and social dynamics superficially and lacking emotional depth or genuine exploration. Strong performances from the leads and supporting cast provide some engagement, but the overall execution feels cowardly and frustrating. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/the-drama-cant-commit-to-its-provocative-premise-review.html)
- **The Telegraph** (30/100, inferred): The film promises bombshell revelations and the wedding from hell but delivers a cramped, feel-bad, unromantic comedy with characters the audience does not care about. The critic finds thin laughs and notes it is skimpier on insight than Borgli’s best previous work. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2026/03/31/zendaya-robert-pattinson-drama-review/)
- **Financial Times**, Danny Leigh (★★☆☆☆): The much-hyped taboo-buster turns a dark secret into a pranky plot device and is as splashy as a large puddle on a rainy day, with jokes that devolve into conventional romcom kind. The critic finds it nervously evasive despite testing audience discomfort with the central taboo. [Read](https://www.ft.com/content/ff21853d-c7da-4787-801e-63b4414b81f0)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Amy Nicholson: The critic sees the film as a coolly unromantic thought experiment that uses shock tactics to probe shame and forgiveness but remains detached from its characters. The drunken confessional scene and supporting performances, especially from Alana Haim, stand out for building tension. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2026-04-02/drama-review-zendaya-robert-pattinson-alana-haim-kristoffer-borgli)
- **Screen Daily**: The critic notes that while the balance of thorny laughs and thought-provoking themes is not always smoothly executed, the provocation succeeds thanks to the grounded performances of the stars. Zendaya and Pattinson’s chemistry is singled out as keeping the compelling ideas afloat. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-drama-review-zendaya-and-robert-pattinson-steer-provocative-dark-comedy/5215155.article)
- **Sight and Sound**: The critic praises the film as an arresting moral debate cunningly disguised as a rom-com, with Borgli satirising cultural taboos around a shocking confession rather than the horror itself. The film’s defiant curiosity about morality and forgiveness is singled out as likely to fuel heated arguments. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/drama-slyly-funny-psychological-drama-neat-rom-com-disguise)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Richard Lawson: The critic views the film as a disappointing rehash of familiar pre-wedding jitters material, despite its shocking premise about a bride's past confession. It is handsomely made and features sharp performances, especially from Pattinson, but lacks depth or meaningful exploration of its ideas. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-drama-review-zendaya-robert-pattinson-kristoffer-borgli-1236552417/)
- **The New Yorker**, Justin Chang: The critic finds the combustible premise struggles to ring true or justify itself despite strong execution in places. The richly shot Boston locations, jangly score, and excruciating wedding sequences are singled out for sustaining interest. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-current-cinema/the-drama-has-a-combustible-premise-that-it-struggles-to-justify)
- **Variety**, Owen Gleiberman: The critic views the film as a half-funny, half-baked squirm comedy of marital jitters that fails to convince due to its central premise. Pattinson's twitchy performance and Borgli's distinctive, jumpy directorial style are highlighted amid the tonal mix. [Read](https://variety.com/2026/film/reviews/the-drama-review-robert-pattinson-zendaya-1236701583/)
- **Deadline**, Pete Hammond (85/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a darkly funny and explosively honest anti-romcom that upends wedding tropes with a shocking pre-wedding revelation about the couple's past. He highlights Borgli's original direction and especially praises Robert Pattinson's career-best performance alongside Zendaya's strong work. [Read](https://deadline.com/2026/03/the-drama-review-zendaya-robert-pattinson-wedding-problems-1236769484/)
- **Collider**, Ross Bonaime (8/10): Borgli delivers his most satisfying and structurally impressive film yet with a gripping story that blends romance and nightmare in equal measure. Pattinson and Zendaya deliver two of the year's best performances as a couple whose wedding week unravels after a dark revelation from the past. [Read](https://collider.com/the-drama-review-zendaya-robert-pattinson-a24/)
- **/Film**, Bill Bria (8/10): The critic finds the film a discomfiting yet subtle dramedy that probes moral ambiguity in relationships and social performativity without easy judgments. They single out the strong performances by Zendaya and Robert Pattinson for effectively conveying their characters' unraveling after a shocking revelation. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/2135266/the-drama-movie-review-zendaya-robert-pattinson/)
- **NME**, Matt Maytum (75/100, inferred): The critic describes a pitch-black comedy that uses a shocking early revelation to explore perception, facades, and moral quandaries in relationships, maximising discomfort while delivering laughs and post-film debate. Performances by Zendaya and Pattinson anchor the material effectively, though the film does not quite stick the landing after a strong setup. [Read](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/the-drama-review-zendaya-robert-pattinson-trigger-warning-3938011)
- **The Wrap** (70/100, inferred): The review describes the film as a dark, Woody Allen-esque comedy about a couple whose perfect lives unravel after a disturbing revelation during a pre-wedding game with friends. It praises the lead performances by Zendaya and Pattinson while noting the unsettling tone and empathy for flawed characters that makes it riveting yet disquieting. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/reviews/the-drama-review-zendaya-robert-pattinson/)
- **Digital Spy**, Ian Sandwell (3/5): The review calls the film an often-uncomfortable and provocative drama laced with pitch-black humour that sparks debate, crediting strong performances by Zendaya and Pattinson for keeping viewers engaged despite narrative lulls and a somewhat conventional final act. It leaves no easy answers but rewards discussion. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a70881859/the-drama-review-zendaya-robert-pattinson/)

## Details

- **Director:** Kristoffer Borgli
- **Director:** Kristoffer Borgli
- **Writer:** Kristoffer Borgli
- **Cinematography:** Arseni Khachaturan
- **Editor:** Joshua Raymond Lee, Kristoffer Borgli
- **Music:** Daniel Pemberton
- **Production design:** Zosia Mackenzie
- **Costume design:** Katina Danabassis
- **Producer:** Tyler Campellone, Ari Aster, Lars Knudsen
- **Cast:** Zendaya as Emma; Robert Pattinson as Charlie; Alana Haim as Rachel; Mamoudou Athie as Mike; Hailey Gates as Misha; Sydney Lemmon as Pauline; Hannah Gross as Alice; Anna Baryshnikov as Sam
- **Runtime:** 1h 45m
- **Certificate (CCC):** 14
- **Release (Chile):** 16 April 2026
- **Genres:** Romance, Comedy, Drama
- **Budget:** $28 million
- **Box office:** $132 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zmKcUa4Xxk

## Where to watch in Chile

- Amazon Prime Video: streaming, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: rent CLF 2.90, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy CLF 7.50, uhd

*Checked 2026-09-10.*

Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BR, CA, CL, CO, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, HK, IT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PL, PT, SE, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Festen* (1998), Fi1m 85: A speech at a family dinner does the damage, and nobody is allowed to leave. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-celebration.md)
- *Force Majeure* (2014), Fi1m 84: One moment of cowardice on a ski slope, and a marriage spends a week picking at it. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/force-majeure.md)
- *Rachel Getting Married* (2008), Fi1m 84: A wedding weekend where the past keeps turning up uninvited and the camera never looks away. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/rachel-getting-married.md)
- *Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?* (1966), Fi1m 86: Drinks, guests, and a couple who know exactly where to aim. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/whos-afraid-of-virginia-woolf.md)
- *Sick of Myself* (2022): Borgli’s earlier, nastier film, which follows its idea all the way down.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-drama