Some secrets are small enough to laugh about later. Others end relationships, destroy friendships, and turn regular dinner parties into a dramatic scene. In The Drama, one honest conversation is all it takes for everything to spiral out of control.
The whole movie starts off pretty simple, beginning with the main characters’ “meet cute” in a local coffee shop. Emma, played by Zendaya, and Charlie, played by Robert Pattinson, have an interesting introduction. Charlie notices Emma reading a book and awkwardly tries to start a conversation about it despite clearly not having read the book himself. The interaction becomes uncomfortable after Emma seems to completely ignore his advances, leaving Charlie embarrassed, before the audience learns that Emma is deaf in one ear. Just when the entire meeting seems doomed, Emma gives him a chance to start over, which ends up becoming a much bigger moment in the movie than it first appears.
After that opening scene, the movie jumps forward a couple of years, showing Emma and Charlie now engaged and enjoying a dinner with two close friends. What starts off as a fun night quickly turns into a tense moment after the group decides to play a game in which everyone shares the worst thing they have ever done. The debate starts with the couple’s impending question of whether to fire their wedding DJ as they caught her doing drugs days before. While Emma seems to argue in favor of the DJ, that they have no idea what she has going on in her personal life, the others seem to oppose that notion, saying that there is no excuse for that kind of behavior. This division right from the beginning of the movie foreshadows one of the biggest conflicts all throughout the film. Then begins the group’s confessions. They start out as almost funny in an awkward sort of way, but the mood completely shifts once Emma reveals her secret that clearly catches everyone off guard. From there, the entire dinner slowly becomes an interrogation towards Emma as more and more secrets come out.
Little details such as Emma’s singular deaf ear and Charlie’s British nationality really bring the film’s complex storyline to life. These certain characteristics might seem random at first, however, as the movie progresses, viewers are able to realize the importance of these hints in unraveling the whole story. Because of these small and hidden details this movie would definitely be worth a second watch to really grasp all the little clues buried throughout conversations and even background moments. One of my favorite examples of this is its easter egg hidden within the actual movie poster. This idea is certainly original as the audience is completely misled through the entire movie, even before it begins.
The tensions and interactions between the characters also feels very real throughout the film. Instead of an over-the-top display of anger, they feel uncomfortably believable, especially during scenes where the characters try defending their choices that are obviously questionable. At the same time, the movie still manages to stay funny. Some of the best moments come from the awkward pauses and reactions after somebody says or does something they definitely shouldn’t have. The theater was unable to hold in their laughter at both the uncomfortability of this movie, but also its humorous moments.
Visually, the movie also stands out in a way that makes the dinner scenes feel strangely tense even before anything actually goes wrong. The warm lighting and polished look of the house almost make everything feel too perfect, which perfectly contrasts the chaotic situations the characters are constantly in. For instance, after Emma’s secret is revealed, the beautifully lit and romantic dinner table serves as an interesting environment as we watch each of the characters process what they’ve just heard. Charlie is clearly trying to process everything that has been said, unable to believe it is true. This sense of confusion and conflicted emotions carry on throughout the film as we watch his reckless choices cause rifts in various relationships.
The friendships in the movie also become way more complicated once the dinner falls apart. One of Emma’s friends, Rachel, is deeply disturbed with Emma’s confession and struggles to maintain the once innocent friendship. However, the movie does a great job at making it clear that nobody at the table is completely innocent either. That aspect makes the argument feel so much more believable as neither party is completely justified. The movie never really picks a side, which makes a lot of the conflicts feel uncomfortable in a realistic way.
What ties the whole movie together is the idea of second chances, which gets brought up multiple times throughout the film. The opening coffee shop scene becomes more meaningful towards the end as the movie explores the notion of whether people actually deserve the opportunity to start over after hurting others. While some characters strongly believe people can grow and change, others think certain actions permanently define who somebody is. Charlie’s entire emotional spiral really centers around that idea. The end of the movie is able to demonstrate that the importance of this story was about whether people can live with the worst parts of themselves and whether forgiveness is actually possible after trust has already been broken.
