Our collective ideas of traditional, hetero normative marriage are less popular now than they were 10 years ago. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, both the marriage and divorce rates of U.S. women declined from 2011 to 2021. The national rate for ages 15 and older was 14.9 marriages for every 1,000 women in 2021. That rate is down from 16.3 marriages recorded in 2011. So, especially for young women right now, marriage does not seem to be as vital a goal as it was in the past.
What great timing then to have a new film released in theaters centered almost entirely around a loving couple’s preparations for their wedding. This film is "The Drama" written and directed by Norwegian man, Kristoffer Borgli ("Sick of Myself," 2022).
At first, "The Drama" appears as a romantic comedy with happy montages of flirting, first date chatting, and sex. The groom-to-be carefully writes a speech to give at their wedding dinner, describing sweet memories of his bride-to-be. But about 20 minutes in, this film takes a dark turn making it feel more like a morality tale with a hard provocative edge.
During a relaxed group dinner before the wedding, the bride-to-be, played by Zendaya ("Dune: Part Two," 2024), shares something bad from her past causing the groom-to-be, played by Robert Pattinson ("Mickey 17," 2025), to slip into a spiral of doubt and anxiety.
Expected wedding customs, like taking photos and choosing flowers, are not ordinary or boring but instead are filled with awkward tension and fear. This film forces viewers into uncomfortable and taboo situations, but in the best way. The screenplay creates so many twisted moments, you will end up laughing in embarrassment or covering your mouth in shock.
Actually, you’ll probably do both of those simultaneously. Things get increasingly out of hand as the wedding gets closer and closer, and the comedy gets blacker and blacker.
Like the writer/director’s previous film "Dream Scenario" (2023), "The Drama" is a clever metaphor on cancel culture (although this one is less cerebral than "Dream Scenario"). What’s even more entertaining, and timely, is "The Drama" uses the heavy social commentary on cancel culture and public violence as a catalyst to address the common questions in many lighthearted romance films.
How much do you need to know someone to love them? How much do you need to trust someone to love them? Where is it safest to draw a line on your boundaries? Does marrying someone mean you should have the same morals as your spouse? "The Drama" raises plenty of serious questions like these, but it answers them in humorous and unpredictable ways.
Of course the premise of this could have taken the narrative into a more politically focused direction explaining more the causes of the bride-to-be’s secret. (There’s certainly space for a film like that in today’s climate of criticism and nebulous public standards of behavior.) But "The Drama" is not focused on that kind of story. Its focus is on romantic relationships and the emotional journeys they take.
I had a great time with this film. It combines the surreal dread of an Ari Aster film ("Beau is Afraid," 2023) with the nervous chaotic apprehension of a Woody Allen ensemble ("Hannah and Her Sisters," 1986 or "Manhattan Murder Mystery," 1993). Everyone enjoys laughing. Right? "The Drama" will give you at least a few.
