“The Drama” tells a tale about what it means to see past one’s biggest mistake and recognize who they are in the present.
A24 cordially invited all moviegoers to witness the wedding of the year with Friday’s premiere of Kristoffer Borgli’s “The Drama.”
Starring Zendaya as Emma and Robert Pattinson as Charlie, the film revolves around an engaged couple trying to get through the tumultuousness of wedding planning. As they’re tasting possible menu items for their big day with some friends, each person confesses the worst thing they have ever done.
After Emma admits her transgression, the room fills with resentful tension, and the audience sees just how people can spiral out of control over a bit of drama.
No matter if you would consider yourself a runaway bride or groom after hearing about the worst thing your fiancé has ever done, surely it could not be as dramatic as this film became.
Here are some of my favorite details behind the highly-anticipated romantic drama of the year.
The invitation
The true invitations into the film’s world are the editing, the shots and the soundtrack.
Symbolism and dialogue are usually big for me, but the editing is the biggest of the three from above that had my eyes glued to the screen from start to finish. With quick panning shots from one character to another, the editing helps maintain a focus on the inner workings of the characters mind.
In addition to the panning cuts, there are simple, quick cuts from one thing Charlie is doing to the next, which shows his inner panic as he mulls over Emma’s confession. The cuts are also from him to his own imagination of what teenage Emma would be doing during that time in her life. These cuts visualize his imagination and it show how his perception of her changed almost immediately.
Charlie’s whole new perception of Emma shows how a lot of people do not truly believe in growth and how quickly people will jump to reduce a person to their worst quality.
Besides the editing cuts, I also enjoyed the use of wide shots and close-ups in the movie. Wide shots were more used for group discussion scenes, which showed individual reactions and how the characters tend to follow a group-herd mindset. Meanwhile, close-ups were used to display realizations within the characters, especially in the group confession scene.
Finally, the soundtrack is also what sealed the deal for me, immersing me in the world of the film. The music was calm yet mysterious, and I was able to let the wedding drama sit and fester in my mind as if I was the one getting married that day.
Since composer Daniel Pemberton was behind the masterful sound, I was guaranteed to love the music. Pemberton also composed the soundtracks for “Materialists,” “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” and probably the most talked about at the moment, “Project Hail Mary.”
The bachelorette and bachelor
I had no doubt in Zendaya and Pattinson’s ability to bounce off each other with chemistry and charisma. As almost always, I was right about that assumption.
The two actors’ chemistry translates well into the flow of their performances, and the audience is able to really believe they are head over heels for one another. Gentle whispers and their ability to goof off are what make their relationship flourish just before the drama sets in.
One scene in particular I’d like to point out is the scene where Charlie is speaking only into Emma’s right ear, which is deaf. Charlie says a few phrases that involve his love confession and how he wants to marry her, but he just doesn’t know how to say it quite yet.
I see this scene as one of the ultimate expressions of love; even though Emma cannot hear Charlie and he knows this, he still wants the universe to hear about his absolute infatuation with her. He isn’t ready for her to hear it, but he feels as if he needs to get it out.
It’s a scene so simple yet so clear in where the couple stands at the beginning of the film and where they could possibly still stand after the credits roll. They would just need to start over.
The reception
There was drama surrounding every aspect of the wedding and what led up to it, but most of the drama was reserved for the reception itself.
With a speech from Charlie’s dad that got a few awkward glances and whispers from listeners, as well as a confession of infidelity that ruffled everybody’s feathers, the reception took the film’s title to a whole different meaning. I don’t think I will ever forget the emotional gasps I heard while sitting in the movie theater as Charlie just couldn’t keep his mouth shut.
Now, I don’t wish to spoil too much with this review, but I think teenage Emma’s actions are evident of what it is like to be sucked in by the darkness of the internet and what can be aestheticized with just a desire for positive attention. As for the characters’ reactions, I think they perfectly encapsulate what it means to preach forgiveness, but not actually give it.
Compelling visuals and a stunning soundtrack tell the story just as much as the characters’ actions. Overall, I think the most comedic bit of the film is how Charlie constantly imagines Emma with blood on her clothes after her confession, but in the end, he is the one with blood on his tuxedo and unretractable guilt on his conscience.
★★★★☆
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source lsureveille.com ’
