The Drama

The first out of a total of three Zendaya and Robert Pattinson collaborations of 2026 is also the one most focused on the dynamic between the newfound dream duo.

In The Drama, the pair star as Emma and Charlie, a couple on the brink of marriage, when they see their wedding DJ smoke heroin in the middle of the street. The incident sparks discussions about whether to continue her employment or try to find a last-minute replacement. During a tasting session with a befriended couple, the conversation eventually turns to the worst thing any of them has ever done. Their collective laughter comes to a screeching halt at Emma’s confession, casting doubt over the entire nuptials.

The film’s playful marketing, which focuses on wedding games and relationship red flags instead of revealing the exact nature of the plot, cleverly piques audience curiosity; being lured by the promise of a trendy dark comedy is perhaps the only way the subject matter is given a fighting chance by the masses. Had the trailer exposed all of the film’s secrets, people would rush to criticise it (based on their preconceived idea of “poor taste”) rather than rush to see it.

Norwegian director Kristoffer Borgli is no stranger to the exploration of controversy and social accountability. But while Sick of Myself and Dream Scenario employed the concept of “trial by social media” and with it a somewhat detached lens, The Drama’s shift into a more immediate setting fosters a profound sense of empathy for the characters. While the viewer follows the events from Charlie’s point of view, and with it his spiral of intrusive thoughts, one cannot help but sympathise with Emma, as she finds herself at the mercy of the others’ judgment.

The script trusts the viewer to recognise hypocrisy within the friend group’s reasoning – to excuse Charlie’s past behaviour, they are quick to point out that a teenager’s brain isn’t fully developed, completely disregarding this truth when it comes to Emma’s story – without having to explicitly point it out. It is Alana Haim’s character in particular who cloaks herself in the guise of morality, widening the net of Emma’s suffering instead of soothing her or taking responsibility for the skeletons in her own closet.

Bones and All’s wunderkind cinematographer Arseni Khachaturan once again crafts the most alluring imagery of wounded young people and their desperate need for an unwavering connection, an omniferous understanding, an unconditional love. Because Emma is partially deaf, the camera repeatedly finds Zendaya’s ear, creating a sense of intimacy through this detail, as well as pointing to the symbolic: the shape evokes that of a half heart.

The richly textured visuals are expertly interwoven through a superb edit by Joshua Raymond Lee and Borgli himself. The relentless pace recreates the urgency and stress of the circumstances, while seamlessly blending with Charlie’s vivid mental images and distorted memories – sometimes glimpsed only in the corner of the frame, pinned to a fridge.

An exceptional addition to the cinematic canon of modern dating, The Drama is both uncomfortably funny and anxiously taut. Its surprising complexity and thought-provoking elements prove the film has more to offer than mere entertainment: it stands as a wake-up call to a generation accustomed to discarding relationships at the slightest friction and treating people as disposable. A proverb from Borgli’s neighbouring country reads, “Love me when I least deserve it, because that’s when I really need it,” and it’s good to be reminded of our capacity for forgiveness every once in a while.