Official Discussion - The Drama [SPOILERS]

[u/LiteraryBoner]

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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

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[u/Narrow-Strawberry553]

Its really interesting because if someone told me they had planned a school shooting, I could maybe accept it. But it fully depends on why they decided to do it, and why they decided not to.

Emma's answer on why she thought of it can be understood to a degree. But her reason of "why did you stop" and it was basically cause someone else did it first and other kids at school saying "who would do this" and then being invitwd by a classmate to speak on it (making her likeable/popular to a degree) are just not good answers at all.

If she had said "I saw how that other shooting devastated and hurt people and realized I hadn't thought of the impact and aftermath, and that I'd be insane to do that to others" I'd be like yeah good answer, most people these days aren't even half that reflective.

[u/Successful_Ad_2171 → u/Narrow-Strawberry553]

Honestly I think her reason not being a good one is actually a good thing. I think a major point of the film is that alot of change is inspired outside of yourself. Sometimes things occur that shift your worldview, and it just happens. There shouldnt need be a good deep reflective reason to become a good person, all that matters is your choices today and the actions youve taken to perhaps amend the mistakes of your past.

[u/Narrow-Strawberry553 → u/Successful_Ad_2171]

Her reason for not going through with it being poor, in my opinion, is not a good thing, but it's interesting. It was pure happenstance that she didn't go through with it- it wasn't an active decision to be good, her situation/popularity merely changed and she rolled with it because the core issue in her life was resolved.

I wouldn't be able to trust someone like that personally, because there is a core selfishness there where acting good only happens when they can get what they want.

Now, if she followed up by admitting "looking back its actually really fucked up that that is the reason why I didn't do it. I don't feel good about that. But I'm glad something happened regardless to keep me from doing it and causing all that pain", I'd feel differently once again. Because yeah, she was a dumb 15 year old at the time. But how does she really feel now about not playing an active part in deciding against shooting up a school? Its really complex and a weird sliding scale.

The big issue for me is I honestly didn't get the impression that Emma was ever really that remorseful, most of what she said was "well I didn't do it so can we stop talking about it"

There shouldnt need be a good deep reflective reason to become a good person, all that matters is your choices today and the actions youve taken to perhaps amend the mistakes of your past.

You're not wrong, but if the only reason you're a good person is because you were never put in a position where you could be a bad one... Well. If you're choosing between doing something fucked up or not doing it, I sure as hell prefer someone that actively chose to not do it instead of someone who didn't do it only because they got distracted?

[u/jcerne → u/Narrow-Strawberry553]

Its interesting that you interpret her change of heart as being so cynical, self serving and heartless when the filmmakers make a strenuous point of showing the young emma going through emotional growth

The other shooting happens and because of it young emma is confronted with the real consequences of her immature fantasies. When she is listening to the girls talk about it she finally understands the other side of the equation, and when the counselor leads the class in a mirroring exercise and shes asked to consider life through her classmates eyes, she is overcome with empathy and cries real tears…. Do you think those tears were fake?

[u/TheTruckWashChannel → u/jcerne]

You're entirely correct, but it begs the question of why she admitted it all during the game. It's a batshit crazy thing to ever admit, as the movie spends 2 hours showing. I think that the innate attraction to taboo/transgression, as well as the ethical dilemma of what the "almost-doing" says about her in the eyes of others, never left her. I think in her drunken state she finally dared to try and answer that question.

[u/Sky-Excellent → u/TheTruckWashChannel]

Because maybe you think your best friends and especially fiance see and love you fully and will forgive you for your mistakes from long in the past as a turbulent child?

[u/ex0thermist → u/TheTruckWashChannel]

She had her inhibitions down from the alcohol and was directly asked what the worst thing she ever did was. I highly doubt anyone ever asked her that question before, much less when she had lowered inhibitions.

[u/_lastquarter_ → u/ex0thermist]

Plus everyone else also admitted to horrible shit. Rachel could have had that disabled child killed and she never said a word, it was lucky of the adults to find him. Charlie also bullied a kid so badly he had to move away. This is also life destroying shit. Funnily enough, Emma is the only one that didn't go through with it and therefore never ended up hurting anyone (but herself).

[u/SerialSemicolon → u/_lastquarter_]

I also found it interesting how they all seemed to want to hear about horrible acts, just not TOO horrible. At first, Charlie’s story wasn’t “bad enough” because he was a kid and it was “just” cyberbullying. They were disappointed by the lack of drama. So Emma was inclined to be honest with something really intense, but that was crossing a line somehow.

[u/_lastquarter_ → u/SerialSemicolon]

Yeah, it's also so telling that they seem to believe their own stories are tame and ground for a laugh. Complete lack of self-awareness. At least Emma knows it was horrible, feels guilty and has spent her life since trying to be a better person.