“The Drama” stars Hollywood heavy hitters Zendaya and Robert Pattinson. They play a couple, Emma and Charlie, during the week leading up to their wedding. We see their meet-cute occur in a Boston coffee shop where Charlie lies about reading the same book that Emma is reading. Despite this fabrication, they begin dating and have an incredibly loving and passionate relationship that truly feels like Pattinson and Zendaya know each other as well as depicted on the screen.

 During wedding planning with Emma and Charlie’s friends, they play a game where each person describes the worst thing they have ever done. Without spoiling, Emma describes a scenario so horrid that her best friend and maid of honor becomes irate. Charlie is in disbelief that someone he thought he knew so well had such a horrible story to tell. Emma’s previous actions cause an immediate and swift strife in her relationship, threatening the upcoming wedding.

 We see Charlie ruminate over calling off the wedding, fleeing back to London and removing Emma from his life. Instead of that, he spends the next few days talking with his partner and contextualizing her actions and inactions. He is not without faults but struggles to come to terms with who his fiancée was, or potentially is. This tension is held for the majority of the film’s runtime, leading to incredibly anxiety-inducing scenes.

 Zendaya and Pattinson are at their best in “The Drama,” and are supported by other great performances from Alana Haim and more. “The Drama” is part romantic comedy, black comedy, psychological thriller and scathing review of American culture. The film states that to love is to understand, not simply make presumptions. To understand is to listen and remain when it would be easier to leave. These notions challenge both the characters and the audience in an impactful way. Directed by Kristoffer Borgli, “The Drama” was released on Friday in theaters nationwide.

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