The Drama (2026) REVIEW
Am I THE DRAMA for liking The Drama?
A24
R | 1h 46m | Romance, Comedy, Drama
This movie has a very specific, pitch black comedic tone that really works for me. It’s dry and a little bit unhinged, that’s exactly my speed. I had the great opportunity in going in completely blind (which I highly recommend) but even if you know where it’s going, the way it gets there is the real hook.
I won’t spoil anything, but the film takes a wild approach to a pretty complicated question: how deep is your love, really? Not the cute, “Would you love me if I was a worm” kind but a really ugly testing version. The kind that forces you to confront your darkest thoughts and then asks, “Okay… now what?” And more importantly…what does your response say about you?
Some people are going to say the film doesn’t interrogate its central idea enough, that it pulls back right when it should dig deeper. And I get that. I have similar criticisms but to me, that almost feels intentional. It kind of throws the mess in your lap and watches you squirm. It’s way more about the fallout and emotional debris. The moral hypocrisy we all pretend we don’t have…until we’re tested. It’s a film that tests your nuance. The script really does feel like a peeling back an onion.
A24
Zendaya (Emma) and Robert Pattinson (Charlie) are doing exactly what you’d hope they’d do…they are fully committed and a little chaotic. Mamoudou Athie (Mike) was spectacular at keeping me frustrated with the choices his character makes. The biggest surprise here is Alana Haim, playing Rachel. A friend you wish you never or would want to disclose your deepest secrets with.
Visually, the film looks incredible too. The color palette leans into this moody warmth that matches the tone of the film perfectly, like everything is just slightly… off. I loved how this film MOVES. The editing has this sharp and mischievous rhythm that feels like it cuts at just the right moments to keep you off balance. I was locked in.
Now, I don’t think the film is perfect. I do wish it pushed further into its themes instead of hovering around it times. And with the recent conversations around the director resurfacing, it’s hard not to read parts of the film differently. You can’t fully separate the art from the context here and that tension kind of lingers to fully let me “love” this film.
This film won’t be for everyone and I think the discourse around the film is going to lack the full nuance this film really needs. It’s a film that is built on watching closely. Closely examining the close motivations and thematic threads that run throughout the film.
