“What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?”
Wow, of all the things that I expected to see in a movie starring Hollywood powerhouses like Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, nothing could have prepared me for the subject of The Drama. I’m no stranger to a movie catching me off guard, but this one was in a whole other stratosphere when came to taking me by surprise. This is a movie that will be talked about for quite some time in my opinion, because it is not afraid to address a very serious issue, one that could have easily had this movie condemned. However, the handling of the subject is really thought-provoking and asks some really pertinent questions regarding relationships. Such as, can you forgive someone for the worst thing that has ever done, or in the case of this film, what they considered doing? Now had I been in Zendaya’s shoes, you couldn’t have waterboarded that information out of me, but that would have made for a pretty lame movie. In the case of this film, the themes explored in this film include the limits of forgiveness, the complexities of intimacy, and the tension between thoughts and actions. The film pulls no punches, and surprisingly manages to remain in the realm of a comedy, albeit a black comedy.
Let’s preface this movie by saying that there are no innocents among this cast of characters, as it was discovered during their game of “we listen, but we don’t judge”. These are all folks who have done some pretty bad and hurtful things. However, it is Zendaya’s confession that sends this group into a spiral, particularly her fiancé, played by Robert Pattinson. I won’t go into detail about said confession, but suffice to say it was shocking, especially given her character’s demeanor and personality. All credit to Robert Pattinson because he really carried the tension for this movie. I could practically feel all of his anxiety, confusion, and emotional spiral as his character attempted to come to terms with his new perspective of his wife-to-be. A key scene that captures this is when she comes to ask him a question with something that could be perceived as a weapon in her hand. Pattinson, like the veteran actor he has become, is on point with his nervousness and reservations.
Given the secret that was revealed, Zendaya’s character, Emma, should be unlikeable. She should actually be feared and treated with contempt. However, there is a bit of a redemptive arc for her character given the fact that the thing that she didn’t follow through on, the thing that is essentially being judged for, kept the character in a morally gray space. Then there is the fact that, as previously mentioned, the people judging her are not without sin. Granted their actions varying in degrees of bad, Emma’s harshest critics are for the most part hypocrites as they actually did follow through with their deeds, which resulted in either emotional or physical harm. Charlie (Pattinson) is the biggest hypocrite of the film, as he not only judges Emma (Zendaya), but he then proceeds to treat her like a stranger and betray her trust on multiple fronts.
Digging into the aforementioned themes of this film, the most central theme was the weight of intention versus action. As mentioned earlier, while Emma did not go through with her original plans that would have had devastating impacts on her and others, she is judged for theme, nonetheless. What’s interesting in the contrast of judgement during the truth-telling game. Despite other characters revealing their own deeply flawed or harmful pasts, there was relative leniency for their actions compared to the outright condemnation that Zendaya’s character receives. This in turn begs the question of whether harboring malicious intent is morally equivalent to actually committing the act. It also showcases how people selectively condemn others while excusing their own behavior. And then there is there is the film’s overarching question: are there limits to love and trust? This is explored throughout the film via Charlie’s point of view as he struggles to reconcile the woman he loves with her past, bringing on the narrative debate of whether he loves her or just the image of her he’s constructed in his mind.
Video
The Drama is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The ultra-high-definition 2160p image is arrived at by an HEVC codec with an average bitrate of 75 mbps with peaks going well above 100. The ultra high definition gets most of its strength from the fact that it was shot on 35mm and is native 4K with a 4K intermediary. The film’s colors are quite warm with a lot of earth tones coming through. The costumes really play into all of that with the exception of the bright white wedding dress. But the grain and warmth give the film a truly organic feel that allows you to better embrace these characters and their rather odd circumstances. It all has a bit of a vintage feel. The Dolby Vision gives the film the edge that allows this almost out-of-focus warmth to punch through. Detail is high, and that’s really brought out in the source textures. Lighting is very much vintage source lights, and that adds to the organic atmosphere considerably. Black levels are pretty good, although there are moments where the shadow definition doesn’t quite give us the detail the rest of the film provides.
Audio
The Dolby Atmos audio presentation defaults to 7.1. All of the audio presentation is there to serve the dialog. There’s very little score, and you won’t find an aggressive surround mix here. The film’s going for a rather intimate atmosphere, and that’s pretty much reproduced faithfully here. Dialog cuts through and is well placed in the mix.
Special Features
Unpacking The Drama – Making-of Feature: (17:16) The feature is very much led by the two leads. They sit together and offer up their thoughts on the film. They lead us into conversations with other cast and crew along with some nice behind-the-scenes footage.
Wardrobe And Camera Tests: 4:52) Raw footage of the tests with commentary by costume designer Katrina Danabassis.
Relationship Hotline Promo: (10:12) The four actors take calls and offer relationship advice. It’s quite humorous and used as an early promo for the film.
Charlie & Emma’s Wedding Video: (1:00) This is just a glimpse of what their wedding video might have looked like.
Final Thoughts:
I dare say that this is the most surprising film that I’ve seen all year, and I wouldn’t be shocked if it remained that for the rest of the year either. This was a unique thought experiment that went and addressed subjects that most won’t dare venture into. It was a story that need to be portrayed by the right people, which was another triumph for the film, because Zendaya and Pattinson were indeed those right people. Where we end up is quite interesting, because after all that transpired, the idea of where we leave these two characters seems pretty farfetched. However, given the emotional roller coaster of the film, I suppose it isn’t an impossibility.
Parts of this review were written by Gino Sassani
