Happily-engaged couple Emma (Zendaya) and Charlie (Robert Pattinson) are planning their wedding, with the help of their friends, married couple Rachel (Alana Haim) and Mike (Mamoudou Athie). As Emma and Charlie work on their vows, they recount how they first met, in a rom-com like meet-cute as Charlie pretends to be a fan of the book he sees Emma reading in a coffee shop, to their second date where instead of actually researching the novel, Charlie doubles-down on the ruse, to their first kiss, and their first sexual encounter—to which Mike cuts in to suggest this is not an appropriate topic for the vows. Charlie very socially awkward, and Emma is a bit as well—they seem like a quirky pair, who were made for one another. However, their wedding week turns quite awkward, and the couple is put to the test, when they decide to play a game at the dinner table.

Charlie, Emma, Mark and Rachel are meeting with the caterer to finalize the menu for the wedding, when the topic of bad things they’ve done arises. Someone suggests they play a game of “What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?”. They go around the table, with each person admitting the worst thing they’ve ever done in their life. The others are brutally honest when they make their admissions, so when it’s her turn, Emma does the same, but perhaps goes a little too far with hers as the table is left speechless. Her revelation scares the others, who don’t know how to react or respond. Charlie is a romantic and has always put Emma on a pedestal, so even he is a bit shocked to discover that she’s not perfect, and has a potentially violent, dark past. His expectations of her are upended, and he doesn’t how handle the situation. He initially laughs things off, but when he sees how Rachel and Mike grow increasingly more uncomfortable around Emma, he starts to wonder if he should feel the same. Is there is a limit to what love can overcome? The tensions of the situation come to a boiling point as the wedding arrives, and things go completely off the rails, for one of the most awkward and uncomfortable weddings of the year.

The Drama comes from writer/director Kristoffer Borgli. I was not really a fan of his previous film, Dream Scenario, which I found to be a way too bizarre and out there. While The Drama does have a bit of that, the film feels far more grounded overall, and I actually enjoyed it. One thing I loved about the marketing of this film is that they do not reveal what this mystery event is. So many trailers these days give away the entire movie, and I applaud the restraint on A24’s part in keeping this a surprise. It causes the viewer’s mind go wild imagining the possibilities, and forces them to confront the reveal along with the characters. I did see some complaints that the film makes light of the topic, due to the humor in the movie, but I thought the filmmakers did a great job of both addressing the topic, but also adding in a little humor so as to not make the film so serious or depressing. My favorite scene of the movie is actually a fun play-on-words with the photographer as she describes her approach to capturing the wedding photos, but her words resonate very differently with the characters who know Emma’s secret.

There is this interesting dynamic between Charlie and Emma. When we first meet them they seem like the perfect rom-com couple, even with their own fun meet-cute story. But then we find out that Emma has his really dark past. On what should be the happiest week of her life, she’s forced to confront this darkness and demons from her past, in order to help Charlie understand her. Charlie, who was initially all-in on this relationship, and possibly still is, is thrown for a loop and starts to go in a downward spiral, questioning things. While his love for Emma likely hasn’t changed, he also has this paranoid feeling like everyone is now focused on this event from her past, even if they actually don’t even know about it. This causes him to do do some irrational things, and question the marriage. But will love ultimately win over in the end? The ensemble is great, and the actors really have good chemistry to pull off this balancing act.

A24/Alliance Home Entertainment have released The Drama on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and Digital. We were sent the 4K release for review. The visual presentation is solid, with a beautiful, detailed picture that captures the someone dream-like look of the movie. The film’s immersive Atmos soundtrack often makes creative use of the sound to put the viewer literally in the headspace of the characters, such as muting or garbling the sound as Emma and Charlie first meet and Emma is either wearing headphones or Charlie is trying to speak into her deaf ear. The disc contains a colid selection of bonus material, including an audio commentary track giving a crew perspective that you don’t typically get, as well as over 30 minutes of featurettes and other behind-the-scenes and promotional material.

The 4K release includes just a single 4K disc, which is packed in A24’s usual Digipack packaging. The carboard folder has a plastic disc holder for the disc on one side, and a slot containing 6 cardboard art cards on the other. This folds closed and is housed in an outer cardboard slipcase. No digital copy is included.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:45:29)

4K UHD:
• 2160p / Widescreen 1.85:1
• Dolby Vision / HDR10
• Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English Descriptive Audio,
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

Extras:

• Commentary with Costume Designer Katina Danabassis, Production Designer Zosia Mackenzie & Co-Editor Joshua Raymond Lee (1:45:29)
  Costume designer Katina Danabassis, production designer Zosia Mackenzie & co-editor Joshua Raymond Lee provide a low-energy but interesting and informative commentary throughout the film, sharing a lot of behind-the-scenes stories about the production, and pointing out some Easter eggs.
• “Unpacking The Drama” Making-Of Featurette (17:16)
  The cast and crew discuss the premise of the film, working with writer/director Kristoffer Borgli, the rehearsal process, the characters, the look of the film, the Boston apartment, the clothing, the costumes and looks of the characters, the stunts, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with stars Robert Pattinson (“Charlie”) and Zendaya (“Emma”), Alana Haim (“Rachel”), Mamoudou Athie (“Mike”), Zoë Winters (“Frances”) & Jeremy Levick (“Ivan”), production designer Zosia Mackenzie, costume designer Katina Danabassis, and executive producer/stunt coordinator Amy Greene.
• Wardrobe & Camera Test With Commentary By Katina Danabassis (4:52)
  Costume Designer Katina Danabassis provides narration over footage from the the wardrobes tests of Robert Pattinson & Zendaya, discussing her thoughts on and inspirations for the various clothing choices.
• “Relationship Hotline” Promo (10:12)
  Cast members Mamoudou Athie, Alana Haim, Zendaya & Robert Pattinson give relationship advice to folks who call in.
• Charlie & Emma Wedding Video (1:00)
  Stylized video of Charlie & Emma’s wedding prep and reception.

Final Thoughts:

The Drama is a film that is both fun and thought-provoking. It poses the question of how much people are willing to forgive for love. What starts off as a rom-com becomes more of an exploration of a relationship as two people who are madly in love must face some dark things from their pasts to decide if they have a future together. A24’s 4K release looks and sounds great, and includes some entertaining on-disc bonus material as well as some beautiful art cards. For those on the fence about a blind buy, the film will be streaming on HBO Max at the end of the month.