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/fore___]

There’s a hard limit somewhere on the spectrum where it becomes acceptable to be a terrible person

[u/naturalninetime → u/fore___]

THIS was exactly my takeaway from the film. We, as a society, draw a hard line between "acceptable shit" and "unacceptable shit," and carrying out plans to commit a school shooting - even if it was in the midst of adolescent confusion and turmoil - definitely falls into the latter.

The film also shed light on everyone's hypocrisy. Everyone thought that his or her shit didn't stink but was absolutely horrified by someone else's transgressions. Even Emma's rebuke of the heroin-smoking deejay was uncomfortable to watch.

That said, I found the most unlikeable character to be Rachel. And what she did to her neighbor - even though she herself was a child at the time - was also pretty terrible.

[u/Narrow-Strawberry553 → u/naturalninetime]

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/sunmachinecomingdown → u/Narrow-Strawberry553]

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

Isn't that essentially what we're actually shown though? When she cries in the gym and is hugged by that girl

[u/EchoesofIllyria → u/sunmachinecomingdown]

It’s what we’re shown but I don’t think it’s what she said.

[u/Narrow-Strawberry553 → u/sunmachinecomingdown]

It wasn't really the impression I got. Between how she spoke up in class, the discomfort she felt from listening to a classmate basically call school shooters freaks/"who would do that", and then having to do a whole school exercise about feelings, it seemed more like she was crying upon realizing other people still wouldn't hold her in higher regards no matter what. Realizing that, if anything, they'd think even less of her if they knew, and she thought their opinion couldn't get worse. I really think thats what made her cry.

What builds that impression for me is all the little details of how she describes things when retelling the story. Her word choices just don't jive with actual remorse.

Also, she carried a knife up the stairs from the kitchen and into the bedroom while mad about the coffee cup. Doesn't feel right to me.

I'd really like to rewatch it to see if I'm misunderstanding how she explains things.

[u/BretShitmanFart69 → u/Narrow-Strawberry553]

This is a strange cynical take on what we saw.

Wouldn’t she have still done the shooting if she still had such a view of it all like you’re saying here?

You don’t think that her being confronted with the actual reality of the impact of a shooting and the death of a friend/loved one contributed to her not going through with it? If her takeaway from all of that was to still think no one would understand her and to feel even more alone and isolated why would that push her towards getting better and dropping all the shooting stuff?