Zendaya and Pattinson's New A24 Movie Tackles Disturbing Twist

The high-concept drama explores a couple's relationship after the bride's past trauma is revealed days before their wedding.

Apr. 3, 2026 at 12:00am

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An extreme close-up of shattered glass and glittering sequins, captured in dramatic, high-contrast studio lighting to create a conceptual representation of the fragile and glamorous facade of a troubled relationship.The disintegration of a seemingly perfect relationship is exposed in the unsettling details of 'The Drama'.Boston Today

In the new A24 film 'The Drama,' Charlie (Robert Pattinson) and Emma (Zendaya) are a seemingly perfect couple preparing for their wedding. But at a pre-wedding dinner, Emma reveals a dark secret from her past - as a troubled teen, she had contemplated committing a school shooting. This revelation deeply unsettles Charlie and threatens to unravel their relationship in the final days before their nuptials.

Why it matters

The film's exploration of Emma's past trauma and its impact on her relationship with Charlie raises complex questions about gun violence, mental health, and how we grapple with the darkest impulses within ourselves. While the movie aims to mine social discomfort for comedy, its treatment of such a sensitive topic has drawn criticism for a perceived lack of nuance and compassion.

The details

As the wedding approaches, Charlie and Emma struggle to reconcile Emma's shocking confession with their plans to marry. Their sex life fizzles, they lash out at work, and the strain threatens to derail the wedding altogether. The film uses the couple's deteriorating relationship as a lens to examine broader societal issues around gun violence and mental health.

  • The film's twist is revealed about 20 minutes into the movie.
  • The wedding is set to take place in the final days of the film's timeline.

The players

Charlie

The groom-to-be, a museum curator who struggles to come to terms with his fiancée's past.

Emma

The bride-to-be, an editor at a publishing house who once contemplated committing a school shooting as a troubled teen.

Mike

Charlie's best man, who proposes the game that leads to Emma's shocking revelation.

Rachel

Mike's wife and Emma's maid of honor, who is openly horrified by Emma's confession.

Kristoffer Borgli

The writer-director of 'The Drama,' known for his high-concept, socially-conscious films.

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What they’re saying

“Given that this reveal occurs only 20 minutes or so in—and that meaningful discussion of the movie to follow is impossible without taking the nature of the bride's disclosure into account—I'll take a page from the provocateur playbook of writer-director Kristoffer Borgli and defy the haters by spoiling Emma's secret, so stop reading here if you want to walk into The Drama as innocent of its subject matter as A24 wants you to be.”

— The reviewer

“Zendaya's Emma remains a manic pixie school shooter—and if that phrase strikes you as glibly offensive, wait till you see the movie.”

— The reviewer

“For the purposes of the falling-domino plotline, culminating in a 'How bad can it get?' wedding sequence, Emma's past infraction could have taken the form of any number of other mistakes, since the movie's main intent is not to comment on the gun-violence crisis but to mine the social discomfort of Emma's revelation for comedy.”

— The reviewer

What’s next

The film's release and audience reception will likely spark further discussions around its handling of sensitive subject matter.

The takeaway

While 'The Drama' aims to explore complex social issues through the lens of a troubled relationship, its treatment of Emma's past trauma has been criticized for a perceived lack of nuance and compassion. The film's high-concept approach raises questions about how filmmakers can responsibly tackle topics like gun violence and mental health.