“If you like laughing at things we’re not supposed to joke about, I’ve got good news,” wrote a reviewer for WBUR. “The Drama is an audaciously uncomfortable affair, working the audience’s nerves and pushing touchy buttons with diabolical delight.”
“Led by Robert Pattinson and Zendaya, and directed by Kristoffer Borgli, The Drama leans into the kind of dark, discomforting humour that audiences love,” wrote Rotten Tomatoes. “Equal parts hilarious and haunting, the film invites nervous laughter as often as it does discomfort, leaving viewers debating its meaning long after the credits roll.”
Metro urged audiences to seek it out, writing: “The Drama is daring, intelligent and expertly judged in its unexpected and taboo-breaking approach to a heavy and highly sensitive topic. If you don’t watch it, you’re missing out.”
And what about that plot twist? Tasteless, provocative, or perhaps both?
“The choice of Emma’s secret ultimately works,” explains Screen Rant. “The goal is not merely to trigger and manipulate our preconceptions, but to push past them; to consider the human underneath a label we’ve become all too familiar with.”
Alana Haim’s performance as the maid-of-honour was also praised by reviewers, and we have no doubt her Haim sisters will be supporting her performance.
Courtesy Everett Collection
Of course, no film escapes criticism. For The Drama, much of it centres on the balance between humour and darkness, as Awards Radar noted: “The Drama isn’t quite serious enough or silly enough to overcome the lack of momentum once the big reveal happens.”
Some critics also felt the film was somewhat incomplete, lacking a sense of resolution for viewers: “The Drama certainly won’t be for everybody, and it might also frustrate those who want resolution,” said Digital Spy. “There’s not an easy answer to be found to the central issue that’s raised here.”