What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done? Such a question often found during a game night or a couples night opens up a myriad of responses, most of which aren’t too bad in the grand scheme of things. But a few responses can totally reimagine what you think about someone. Emma (Zendaya) and Charlie (Robert Pattinson) are at the precipice of marriage, ready to begin life in holy matrimony. During a late night finalization of the food and wine of their special day with best man Mike (Mamaudou Athie) and his wife, maid of honor, Rachel (Alana Haim), the worst thing question is posed by Rachel. Stories are given first by Mike, then Rachel, followed by Charlie, and concluding with Emma.

The contents of Emma’s story are shocking, immediately changing the tone of the night from lighthearted to leaden. Consequently, the next day sees Charlie having difficulties in moving forward, and his behavior becomes increasingly erratic. Everything he thought he knew about his soon-to-be spouse has been thrown in disarray. Should he move forward with the marriage?

Marketing has very little impact on the quality of a movie, but it can carry a large impact on the experience viewers have with a movie. Even as its ambitions as a studio have become more and more grandiose, A24 still feels like it’s the best in the business as it pertains to building intrigue without sacrificing revelatory plot details. While The Drama’s quality doesn’t hinge on secrecy, it is a movie on first viewing that should be experienced completely fresh, and with an open mind.

The Drama is definitely less surreal than Dream Scenario, but screenwriter and director Kristoffer Borgli has some of the same energy found in that film bubbling here. His direction and cinematography (the latter credited to Arseni Khachaturan) can be defined as irregular, agile, and…slightly dreamlike. The nonlinear approach is something that takes some time warming to, and it borders on too chaotic at times. But after concluding the feature, it’s difficult to imagine this being told in a straightforward manner, being that we’re meant to be stuck in one character’s headspace as they work through the aftermath of a personal bomb being dropped. Editing and directing in this manner also allows Borgli to give critical backstories to his central characters without the need to have them deliver what could be rote and pace-killing monologues. Technically, the sound design deserves a shout out as well, whether it’s perfectly timed empty space or specific moments designed to resemble well-known—and unfortunate—staples of American culture today.

“How well do you know your partner?” is the foundational question at the heart of The Drama. However, the questions that spawn off of it spark deeper philosophical discussion. Everything from intention versus impact, whether harmful acts that never make it out of the intention phase are worth being held to the fire for, what is shared (or not) between partners and friends, and even if age should play a factor in contextualizing these disturbing intentions or not. Within that, through smartly written and sometimes humorous dialogue, Borgli acknowledges the racial, gender, cultural, and class dynamics at play without sledgehammering these aspects home.

It’s no surprise that Pattinson excels in a multifaceted role spanning the emotional prism. Zendaya follows her impressive work in Challengers with a role that isn’t as dominant or loud, but a higher degree of difficulty to pull off as it requires more subtleties and a make-or-break-the-movie chemistry with Pattinson. And with all of that said, a case could be made for Haim turning in the best performance of the bunch. I think I’ll be hard pressed to hate any character this year as much as I do Rachel, which is a testament to the writing and the perfectly pitched efforts of Haim.

I’m hesitant to call The Drama a romantic comedy. But that only matters in so much as the expectations one has in seeing two pretty people on the poster in wedding regalia. The Drama operates on its own terms, comfortable exploring the gray space we all live in.

B+

Photo credits go to impawards.com, slate.com, hollywoodreporter.com, and people.com.