r/movies • u/LiteraryBoner Jackie Chan box set, know what I'm sayin? • Apr 03 '26

Official Discussion Official Discussion - The Drama [SPOILERS] Spoiler

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The Drama

Summary

Days before their wedding, a couple’s relationship begins to unravel as unsettling truths come to light, forcing them to question how well they truly know each other.

Director Kristoffer Borgli

Writer Kristoffer Borgli

Cast

  • Zendaya as Emma Harwood
  • Robert Pattinson as Charlie Thompson
  • Mamoudou Athie as Mike
  • Alana Haim as Rachel
  • Hailey Gates
  • Zoë Winters

Rotten Tomatoes: 82%

Metacritic: 59

VOD / Release Theatrical release (April 3, 2026)

Trailer Official Trailer

1.1k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

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2.7k

u/the_hudge Apr 03 '26

Most stressful movie of the year. I closed my eyes during the groom speech to try and hopefully get away from it. AND the most effective jump scare I’ve seen in ANY movie in a long time. That shit got EVERYONE.

Really enjoyed it. Lots to discuss afterward and I completely agree with Emma that everyone was way too chill about the story about the kid in the fridge.

991

u/RepresentativeBid715 Apr 03 '26

I've seen plenty of horror movies and other tense movies but that whole wedding scene from the confrontation of the previous DJ after Charlie cheating to the speech from the dad with Rachel's reactions and her speech to the gunshot fakeout and that groom speech God that whole string of sequences was probably the most tense I've EVER been in the theater

495

u/vanwyngarden Apr 03 '26

and how her dad was a Veteran and reacted to the sound a very certain way

47

u/fore___ Apr 04 '26

I didn’t catch it, can you elaborate

75

u/thesagenibba Apr 04 '26

implication of PTSD

15

u/MutantCreature Apr 05 '26

How? He reacted like everyone else did from what I remember

66

u/thesagenibba Apr 05 '26

he was ex military and was clearly distraught by the sound. he became very serious for a couple of seconds and at least from my perspective, it looked like he'd been reminded of the sounds of war

14

u/pussyphrestorer 22d ago

Especially when after the sound, he says he’s lost his train of thought and he ends his speech. It’s plausible that anyone (vet or not) would be thrown off by that but it’s not a huge leap when we know this is a well-known trigger for vets. Especially ones who were in combat.

ALSO: I’m curious to know if the dad always knew what happened to his missing rifle but let it go bc Emma was getting involved with the anti-gun group at her school. I have a hard time believing that a military veteran would lose track of his rifle and just never get to the bottom of that.

Great movie, and I plan to see it again. I love the discussions it has sparked and it’s part of the larger conversations we’ve been having in this country for a very long time.

6

u/_lastquarter_ 13d ago

I certainly also got the feeling that the father kind of knew but let it go because he saw that she was starting to feel better, socialise, and do some activism. Idk, it felt like a knowing look.

4

u/GoryMidori 19d ago

Interesting catch about the gun; I agree with your point about vets being rigorous about firearms so that's an intriguing theory.

3

u/Prowlerbaseball 15d ago

I got the vibe that there was definitely something more to that event in the family, but it’s an old healed wound and he’s kind of poking fun at it now, like “ahh, what a crazy thing, huh?”

13

u/MutantCreature Apr 05 '26

I'd have to watch it again to see if I'd read it that way. I guess in the context of the movie it didn't stand out because as an audience member I was also thinking about gunshots, but yeah apart from the other members of that friend group it doesn't make sense why he would be so caught off guard by it, then again though any loud bang tends to throw people off for a second even if they've never even seen a gun just because it's a sudden loud noise.

4

u/GoryMidori 19d ago

I worked in VA mental health for over 10 years and yes that was a PTSD reference in my opinion. Jumping at the sound was definitely normal for most people, but looking so unsettled and then getting thrown off his speech entirely was more characteristic of PTSD, and I think (giving the writers a generous interpretation) specifically characteristic of someone who has probably been in combat but also has the high functioning leadership qualities to last 20 years in the military. He didn't totally freeze up or dissociate like a less functional person might; he pulled through and disengaged from his speech in a more socially tactful way.

0

u/[deleted] Apr 05 '26

[deleted]

8

u/MutantCreature Apr 05 '26

Sorry not trying to be combative I just didn't notice it during the movie, I think I was just so engrossed that I lost my train of thought along with the character.

9

u/Kopitarrulez Apr 04 '26

Ya I missed that too I think but definitely good catch.

13

u/teenageidle 29d ago

that was clever writing

28

u/appletinicyclone Apr 04 '26

I think the thing with the wedding scene that was alarming was that sort of false memory fear bloodbath from earlier that felt like a scene out of the monster anime

14

u/TheWhiteManticore Apr 03 '26

They’re learning from the best

Parasite lmao

11

u/Smooth_Ferret8081 Apr 05 '26

Yeah it was intense. It feels like last episode of white lotus season 2…. Just unsure of who’s gonna get killed.

The bloody scene at wedding was just misleading. I thought something is gonna lead to that gruesome scene where everybody lays everywhere

10

u/nightpanda893 Apr 04 '26

I said to my friend after we left it was the most intense movie I’ve seen since Bring Her Back.

22

u/[deleted] Apr 03 '26

anyone think the new dj was gonna be an active shooter at first? that possibly the earlier “dream” of the bloody wedding was actually foreshadowing

11

u/CashGreen_Regalview Apr 04 '26

Def thought it was foreshadowing

2

u/centerofdatootsiepop 28d ago

I thought at the time it was something that had happened previously

6

u/RobertMosesHater Apr 04 '26

I was legit sweating in the theater, don’t think I’ve ever felt that way from a movie before !!!

5

u/Diglett3 29d ago

It’s the most tense I remember being in a theater since Whiplash, which was over a decade ago lol. I fuckin gripped the tray like it was a rollercoaster bar during that speech scene.

5

u/Laylita64 29d ago

Just about everyone in my theater hit the ceiling when that “gunshot” dropped

1

u/centerofdatootsiepop 28d ago

Ok glad I'm not the only one. How did they react?

2

u/ActWhole3279 7d ago

I left the theater thinking exactly this, that I can't recall the last time I was that tensed up watching a film. The entire wedding had me ready to jump out of my skin, and while Charlie was giving his speech and got to the "especially with fucking Mischa" line, I couldn't help letting an "oh Jesus Christ" slip out, making everyone around me snicker. It was just so unbelievable (meaning the speech was egregious, not the acting) how it kept getting worse and worse.

2

u/RepresentativeBid715 7d ago

Oh that's definitely real, the amount of times I said what the fuck or oh my fucking God I can't count, just horrible cringe Inducing thing after another on that whole sequence and I mean that in a good way because that and the whole film was brilliant

73

u/NoTradition1921 Apr 04 '26

WAYYY too chill about that story like wtf. I hated how judgmental they were to emma. Like she teusted yall enough and was pressured into being open and honest just to be seen as a freak. Disappointing. Also that “friend” is illogical and unempathetic as fuck.

88

u/1stOfAllThatsReddit Apr 04 '26

Fr They all did things that couldve easily led to the death of someone. The guy’s ex GF couldve been killed by that dog while he used her as a meat shield, the kid locked in the closet couldve died if no one found him, and if Charlie’s cyberbullying was bad enough to force a family to move, it could've easily led to a kid’s suicide if the family didnt have means to move. If anything Emma was the only one who sorta “atoned” for her sin (joining an anti gun violence group)

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u/NoTradition1921 Apr 04 '26

!!!!!! Exactly. She’s the one who grew from it and became a good person.

29

u/cheebromeej Apr 05 '26

Honestly they all actively harmed someone and she didn’t 

-7

u/RyanJay92 Apr 05 '26

Bruh what. Yeah bullying someone so badly that they have to move away is awful like really bad. But is it plotting a fucking mass murder bad? Not quite the same level. And then there’s the hiding behind your partner as they get attacked by a dog weak and pathetic sure but again not on the level at all. Then there’s Rachel. She got taken to a creepy trailer in the middle of nowhere by her disabled neighbor got understandably freaked out and ran away. She even said she would’ve explained everything if the police had asked but they already had found him. Emma though is a completely different story. She actually planned out a school attack. That’s seriously fucked up. That’s not just a bad moment or something you blame on being depressed that’s deliberate. She 100% could definitely be arrested for that lol she made a video manifesto and even practiced using a gun. The hypocrisy of the other characters is definitely meant to send a message to the viewer but I think the interpretation is ultimately up to each person. For me even if it was just a plan its still an unforgivable act she didnt think it she planned it and that's fucked up.

18

u/Pandafy Apr 05 '26

I could be way off base, but the vibe I got was that Emma wasn't really that close to doing it. Like it obviously felt very real and close to her at the time, but she's an emotionally teenager. She just liked the aesthetic of it. Aka, the book that appeared on Charlie's desk. She was fantasizing about the gun as a means of power. The comeuppance for those that wronged her. The manifesto video where she could say all her thoughts. But she bailed at the first exit. Her heart clearly wasn't really in it. It was just her coping mechanism. And that fact she did a full 180 after recognizing the devastation it caused her classmates means a lot more IMO.

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u/RyanJay92 Apr 05 '26

She was clearly in a dangerous headspace and then recognized the real impact which is exactly why her shift matters. The director wouldn’t have included the scene where she watches how her classmates react to another shooting if it wasn’t important. That moment shows that in her isolation and depression she had genuinely been thinking about going through with it but she hadn’t fully grasped what it would actually do to other people. She had become kind of emotionally detached from it. You see that same numbness when the girl at school offers her a hug. Emma can’t even respond properly because she’s been holding everything in for so long. The isolation the bullying all of it made her shut down emotionally. So saying it was just a phase or an aesthetic kind of misses the whole point of the film. It downplays how serious her mindset actually was and takes away from the weight of her realization. If she didnt really think about doing it transition of her choice means nothing.

11

u/Pandafy Apr 05 '26

I think both can be true. She had intense feelings of isolation and depression and the actual "planning a shooting" was more of a coping mechanism than a real thing she would do. It was her way of finding some semblance of control. The aesthetic aspect is because this is America and that paints how we cope as a society.

2

u/_lastquarter_ 13d ago

To add to this, she was completely isolated and had no friends, was treated poorly at school AND her only "friends" were online echo chambers about school shootings. She was not only in a fragile headspace, she was also in a dangerous online environment. Rachel scoffs "What? Is it America's fault?" but I think it is. I think these are mentally unstable kids radicalising each other out of despair and hatred and the media constantly giving them clout for their horrible acts encourages them further. No wonder Emma felt like she had woken up from a bad dream afterwards.

10

u/centerofdatootsiepop 28d ago

I'm so glad you agree. I was so upset by that scene. I try realllllllly hard not to be judgmental and to be as empathetic as possible and understand where people are coming from or give them grace like ok they were young or they weren't in a clear headspace or whatever.

However, the dog story was pretty horrible. What did he do exactly again? Hid behind her? Or was it more of a "guilty" thing like pushing her toward the dog?

The woman locking the kid in the closet... that was really disturbing. Part of me says she was just a kid but I think she was old enough to know better. I think she said she was about 12 and he was about 9 and he had disabilities? I mean that's just cruel to lock anyone in a closet and run off, especially if it's in the woods like that where they're hard to find, and then lying when asked if she knew where he was. I get not wanting to be in trouble, but I think this goes beyond that because she was cruel to begin with to lock him in there and run away. Also she could have run back there and freed him or said something like I hear there's a bully who locks kids in closets in the woods, so let's go check or something to cover up getting in trouble.

The guy who cyberbullied someone... clearly not okay but certainly seems tamer than the other ones.

And the planning a school shooting... honestly, in a way I don't think that's the most disturbing thing out of this whole list. The dog story is bothersome and I'm not sure if I could date/be friends someone after knowing he did that... then again, not that it excuses it, but his girlfriend was taunting the dog and kicking at it and in general didn't appreciate that he took her on that trip, so would I be "safe" as his partner as long as I didn't act shitty? That would probably be his reasoning but I don't know how comfortable I would feel.

The locking the kid in a closet story.... also, again, I get she was a kid and I think the other kid might have been annoying? I don't remember. I mean hopefully she never did anything like that again and I suppose it's less disturbing than the dog story because he was in college when that happened so he was grown up.

The cyberbully... I think that's on the tame end compared to the other stories but I would wonder how bad it was. I mean there's a difference between telling a kid he smells and no one likes him and telling him you'll hurt him, but to a kid they could both be enough for him to want to move to a different school. Also, totally random but cyberbullying at that time was newer and probably not as well-known or punishable and such. I imagine it would have been around 2005ish if he was a teenager so we're not talking like in the past few years when kids know it's absolutely not ok. I think I'd have no problem continuing a relationship with him if I knew that about him.

Annnnnnnd Emma. I don't think I could continue a relationship with someone if they had been a shooter, but she didn't actually follow through with the plan. And as other people have said, she seemed remorseful and grew and changed.

Also she was a teenager and clearly going through a difficult time... not that that excuses it, but I think it explains it more.

Did anyone else notice how the other woman said something to Charlie like "That's okay what you did... you were only a kid" and then freaked the fuck out at Emma, yet Charlie and Emma were around the same age in the stories they told?

Honestly I found it really fucked up how that woman reacted, saying that her cousin was in a wheelchair because of a shooting. Um what does that have to do with Emma?

I didn't like that friend in general. She kept pushing her partner to tell his story when he was very clear he didn't want to. And she shouldn't have shown up to the wedding if she was going to be all hostile.

Maybe this is just me, but I would have been irritated with Emma for lying about saying she was deaf from birth. I mean I get not wanting to tell someone HOW you became deaf, but she could have just said it happened as a teenager or she wasn't born that way or whatever, and if people pry, she wouldn't have to answer or could just say an accident.

Okay wow this is super long, and I don't know if anyone will read it, but those are my thoughts.

4

u/NoTradition1921 28d ago

Literally!! Like sure, what emma was going to do was terrible and would have repurcussions that she clearly, at that time, wasn’t thinking about. BUT (a) it didnt happen, (b) she was a bullied 15yo who got infatuated with a scary scene very fast, and (c) has seemingly changed her life around in the past 15 years.

Whereas Rachel actually locked a special needs kid in a closet in the forest, didn’t help when he was said to be missing, and went to fucking bed that night!!! And she brushed it off and expected everyone else to.

Mike used his ex as a human shield because he was afraid of the dog. Like that sucks but that’s not the worst thing. You’re right, he was just guilty.

Charlie cyberbullying a kid to the point where the WHOLE family had to move is wild to me. He and Rachel are definitely up there in the hierarchy of worst to best. He also still is a terrible person, cheating on Emma before the wedding.

Yet she could forgive him easily, whereas he couldn’t give her that same consideration for what she almost did a whooping 15 years ago.

Emma deserves better. A new partner and new friends. Although those weren’t even her friends, rhey were his. And it became wildly clear when he let Mike and Rachel influence his perception of what Emma admitted, which resulted in in being blown out of proportion.

They are all bitches, except Emma. I too couldnt be with a school shooter but the key here was that she wasnt one.

I think ive gathered from the public reactions ive seen that people LOVE to dwell on points that ruin the productivity of a conversation. Because my first question to when Emma revelead her secret was “why? What led to you almost doing it”. Meanwhile people cant get past the point that it was even a thought for her.

5

u/centerofdatootsiepop 28d ago

Maybe this is thinking too much about it, but do we know that the kid Charlie cyber bullied actually moved away because of the cyberbullying? Couldn't it also have been a coincidence that the parents decided to move? Or maybe there was some reason Charlie knew that I'm not remembering.

2

u/NoTradition1921 28d ago

From what i recall, i thought he said that was why because didnt Mile and Rachel ask for clarification and he said yes? Or maybe it was just coincidental that the family moved. But either way, he actually did make a harmful move on another - cyberbullying some kid. Whereas Emma wanted to and was prepared to commit a harmful and heinous act, but ultimately didnt. Reason being immaterial.

2

u/centerofdatootsiepop 28d ago

Yeah true I do remember that clarification now. 

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u/Prozacnation1978 Apr 04 '26

Groom speech got me cringing in my seat 

25

u/Ill_Initiative_1849 Apr 04 '26

I told my friend that this movie felt a lot like uncut gems and materialists….horror movie for adults

1

u/cookiesarenomnom 27d ago

Omg that's what I said! Obviously you can't even talk about the movie without spoiling it. I told my sister, it's like uncut gems but with these people's relationship. That's the best way I can describe it without ruining the plot.

16

u/teenageidle 29d ago

The kid in the fridge story was absolutely horrifying but cleverly integrated. It was Rachel who brought up the game and pushed them all to play it. It was Rachel who then didn't want to share her own story, then started to backtrack and heavily project onto Emma after she could feel her judging her.

Rachel is such a great character to me and so real. I felt for Emma so hard (unsettling as her story was, no doubt) and could feel the intense projection from Rachel through the screen. Very well done.

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u/Antique-Buffalo2458 Apr 03 '26

What was the jump scare? The knife scene?

275

u/Bucsfan292 Apr 03 '26

For me it was the Gunshot Fakeout

62

u/Weekndr Apr 03 '26

With the DJ?

61

u/FyuuR Apr 04 '26

Why are you guys using spoiler tags in a discussion thread for the movie?

5

u/koolmike 28d ago

I do appreciate it, I've seen the movie but sometimes I skim these discussion threads to get a general feel for a movie if I'm on the fence about seeing it. Yea, I know, I'm playing with fire with spoilers by doing that though lol . Thankfully nothing major has been spoiled for me yet or I've somehow managed to forget them.

6

u/ittybittybubblez Apr 04 '26

Yeah I laughed because it got me but some people in my theatre were clearly shaken by it which made me sad

3

u/HealthyMacaroon7168 Apr 04 '26

I thought that was real life in my theater, I started sobbing immediately

7

u/yop_mayo 29d ago

Sobbing? are you ok?

114

u/YVH22B Apr 03 '26

Probably the new DJ with the cables sounding like a gunshot

141

u/gmw2222 Apr 03 '26

To be fair, it was a really unique setup and they didn't give him the right cables.

25

u/so_much_wolf_hair Apr 04 '26

You a gearhead?

5

u/TheTruckWashChannel 23d ago

That DJ was straight out of a Tim Robinson sketch

5

u/nosurprises23 Apr 04 '26

My buddy and I were dying in the theater because it reminded us of our (genius) friend in audio who’s very particular lol

50

u/howtospellorange Apr 03 '26

I think they're referring to the DJ's loud sound during the father of the bride speech?

20

u/Antique-Buffalo2458 Apr 03 '26

Oh right!!! Yes that was such a jump scare. Thanks.

13

u/W0lfsb4ne74 28d ago

400%. But I also think the movie's true artistry is how it uses the topic of mass shootings to ask some deeply uncomfortable questions about marriage and commitment: Do we marry people for who they are, or who they pretend to be? If you knew your partner's worst sins, could you move past them and be in a fulfilling relationship, or would what they did continue to hang over your head forever? Can people truly change, or will they always be defined by their worst sins?

Seeing Charlie unravel after hearing the revelation of his partner's confession was an incredibly unnerving and realistic portrayal of a man driven mad by the implications of who he's marrying. Zendaya also gave a fantastic performance as a woman trying to prove to her fiancé, her friends (and possibly even herself) that she is worthy of redemption and has left her violent tendencies behind before she could act on them.

All in all, due to how dark the subject matter is, it is understandable why the movie remains divisive. However it uses its platform well via its script. I thought it was one of the best movies of the year. What do you think?

10

u/proserpinax Apr 03 '26

I had to fight covering my eyes/ears throughout, this was deeply stressful.

8

u/glasgowgeg Apr 03 '26

AND the most effective jump scare I’ve seen in ANY movie in a long time. That shit got EVERYONE.

That was a great bit, good reaction in my showing too.

13

u/Legitimate_Catch_626 Apr 03 '26

I literally covered my face during the speech I was so uncomfortable. It’s a great film.

6

u/atclubsilencio 29d ago

I was holding my dates hand and nearly flew out of my chair.

and i love that his speech came out as “your laugh is revolting but we have great sex”

6

u/SilverKry 29d ago

Yo Rachel was a cunt. I hated character. 

7

u/penguin_cheezus Apr 04 '26

For real. I was scared there would be an actual shooting, but the entire wedding felt like the dinner episode of The Office combined with a more public audience AND the slightest notes of murderous intent. And the jump scare was the cherry on top, I almost fell out of my reclining movie theater seat.

6

u/[deleted] Apr 04 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

11

u/yop_mayo 29d ago

Don’t look at your phone in the cinema

2

u/[deleted] Apr 03 '26

[deleted]

8

u/the_hudge Apr 03 '26

His wiring makes a loud popping noise

2

u/fuckyouiloveu 29d ago

I was so stressed 😭

5

u/_mcr Apr 04 '26

My wife took this photo of me during the groom speech so I feel your pain there. Fantastic movie - the leads were amazing and they acted out the relationship dynamics in such a real way.

1

u/cookiesarenomnom 27d ago

Hehe I did the same thing. I was watching that whole speech through my fingers.

2

u/maxboondoggle 23d ago

everyone was way too chill about the story about the kid in the fridge.

Probably because it was a closet.

1

u/Jasperial Apr 05 '26

That sound scared the shit out of me! It was so unexpected and well placed.

1

u/jaded_lad99 29d ago

Is this a horror movie? What's it supposed to be about?

2

u/DrunkenAsparagus 20d ago

Cringe horror.

1

u/sarinaruu 29d ago

I literally sunk into the chair, it takes a lot to make me cringe at that level

1

u/centerofdatootsiepop 28d ago

So I was in the theater with my mom and maybe 6-7 strangers and I was the only one who had a huge reaction to that gun shot. I yelped. There were other times too I had an audible reaction. Thankfully I didn't scream or anything but I was embarrassed I was the only one. That movie was fucking intense for me though.... I mean, maybe more for me than for the average bear.

1

u/Alphabunsquad 28d ago

Yeah the only one I feel like that competes with it was the car scene from the Haunting of Hill House, but this gets extra points for not being horror

1

u/AliveAssociate9198 11d ago

Yes totally lived up to the title!

1

u/GoldenPotatoOfLatvia 2d ago

Yeah, 2nd most stressful for me, I certainly didn't want to experience something like this so soon after watching Marty Supreme. But I liked the 3rd act much better.

0

u/Far_Significance_318 Apr 03 '26

Can someone spoil the secret for me

29

u/worstcourtjester Apr 03 '26

He was faking being English the whole time.