On April 3rd, The Drama, starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, was released at the box office. Zendaya plays Emma, an emotionally complex and guarded young woman who falls in love with Charlie. Charlie, played by Pattinson, can be described as charming, people-pleasing, and emotionally eager. The film stays true to its name, exploring dark themes of love and secrets exposed the week before Emma and Charlie’s wedding. This movie was produced and released by A24, an entertainment company known for its passionate fanbase and contemporary artistic film style (Wikipedia). From my perspective, this movie captures how complicated love can be, showing a realistic view of unconditional love and accepting people for their flaws. This film was extremely enthralling, and I would highly recommend it to anyone.
The movie begins by showing how Emma and Charlie met, depicting how much love and compassion they have for each other and how their relationship dynamic works. They appear as the perfect pair, admiring each other’s quirks and embracing the little things that nobody else would notice. The couple is planning their wedding as it approaches in the upcoming week. As they are wine tasting with their friends, Rachel and Mike, Rachel asks everyone to share their darkest secret. It’s Emma’s turn to share her secret, and everyone at the table is appalled to hear what she has to say. Charlie once saw her as an empathetic, compassionate, and loving person, but now has a new, distorted view of “the love of his life”. Charlie is conflicted on whether he can continue to go through with the wedding, and he questions how much he really knows Emma.
This film is incredibly complex, allowing the viewer to determine their own opinions on the characters. The movie brings up the question, “Can you really know someone if you don’t know everything about their past?”
Alex Marshall, a senior at Oak Hills, stated,” At the end of the movie, you don’t really feel like one person is in the right or wrong, but it shows how love can be stronger than whatever bad things someone has done.”
In my opinion, this film is so interesting because it allows you to see both sides of the characters’ stories and have empathy for them both; there isn’t a clear villain or hero of the story. After watching this film, I find myself thinking about it at least once a day, which isn’t common for me because of Emma’s character complexity and how one secret can change the whole direction of a relationship.
If you enjoy multilayered think pieces, this film is definitely worth watching. This movie depicts Emma’s character growth and empathy beautifully, showing how much someone can change and put themselves in others’ shoes. Both Charlie’s and Emma’s ability to empathize and feel love so deeply makes this movie so captivating. A24 did an amazing job with this film. I was able to understand both Charlie and Emma’s struggles while seeing their flaws. The film style of this movie was incredibly beautiful, with its classic outfits and soft lighting. I would rate this movie a solid 5/5 stars, and I believe everyone should watch it at least once.
