Get unlimited access to everything VICE has to offer.

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

4 Magazines Delivered to Your Door

The VICE Verdict: ‘The Drama’ Is Unbearable

Spoiler alerts are for babies, but this one is safe to read whether or not you’ve seen Robert Pattinson and Zendaya’s new A24 film already.

By Adam Christopher Smith

Share on X (Opens in new window)X

Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Facebook

Share using Native toolsShareCopied to clipboard

Welcome to LOST WEEKEND, VICE’s new Monday briefing.

I’ve never cared about spoilers. I mean, really, you’re not going to watch a film because you know what happens—what are you, a child? But I’ll behave myself just this once, because the twist that arrives early on in The Drama is kind of the whole point of the film. Norwegian director Kristoffer Borgli is basically asking how well we can ever really know another person—a question brought to life by a deliciously warped revelation contained within the film’s first act. At a time when many of us are fearful of leaving the house without consulting three-to-five cultural and business review websites, it’s a truly courageous act to create a piece of cinema where so much hangs on an unexpected, speak-and-it’s-spoiled plot point.

The film follows a seemingly perfect couple, played by the suitably beautiful Robert Pattinson and Zendaya, as they plan for their wedding, preparing for every eventuality—only to be undone by the one thing you can’t control: the distance between what you’ve done and how you continue to appear in the world. Everything starts to fall apart for them when Zendaya reveals an unexpected secret during an innocuous conversation over a glass of skin-contact wine (the reference cues throughout the film are selected with an almost brutal eye for detail). After being asked “What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?” she makes the ultimate faux pas of responding honestly. This moment is teased in the trailer, and before watching the film, I tried to guess what she........

© Vice