Kristoffer Borgli broke out in the film scene with his third feature, Dream Scenario, which took a bizarre premise and turned it into a series of uncomfortable comedic moments that delivered one of Nicolas Cage’s strongest performances in years. Although it wasn’t a major box-office success for the studio, it sparked enough interest to make his next project highly anticipated. Three years later comes The Drama, a film with more than double the budget of his previous film and starring two of the biggest movie stars of this generation, Zendaya and Robert Pattinson.

The film follows Emma (Zendaya) and Charlie (Pattinson) in the week leading up to their wedding day. During their last-minute wedding preparations with the maid of honor and best man, Emma reveals a devastating secret that causes Charlie to rethink their relationship, leading to a chaotic last few days before their wedding. With tensions rising, the couple struggles to move forward with Emma’s secret as Charlie slowly breaks down.

Borgli mastered the idea of uncomfortable comedy with his 2023 film, which carried over beautifully in The Drama. Despite the subject matter being extremely serious, Borgli finds the perfect ways to poke fun at their situation. Whether it’s Emma and Charlie randomly panting each other or the sound of a camera flash representing Emma’s secret, Borgli uses many filmmaking techniques that add levity to the drama while also pushing the plot forward. Making audiences uncomfortable isn’t something many filmmakers attempt, but Borgli’s use of comedy to bring uncomfortability makes for a more digestible experience than if the film were solely trying to be uncomfortable. The trailers may not frame it as such, but the film is easily one of the funniest of the year, even if some scenes are hard to watch.

A lot of the comedy also comes through in the editing, which Borgli also did with co-editor Joshua Raymond Lee. Shots linger on characters for slightly longer than in the average film, allowing every moment of awkwardness to come through without the camera hiding it. There are also a ton of cutaway gags, with the camera jumping straight to the aftermath of a sequence instead of showcasing what actually took place, which made for many excellent moments of humor. Many movies in the romance-comedy genre don’t typically use editing to drive the story, making The Drama stand out even more than it already does.

Weddings usually mark a time when two people fully understand each other, including their flaws, and are willing to accept them for an entire lifetime. That’s not the case with The Drama. The film subverts the rom-com genre, following two people as they learn to love and accept one another before they tie the knot. The film doesn’t delve too deeply into their relationship before the wedding, allowing the central conflict of discovering Emma’s secret to drive their relationship. This made for a refreshing look at romance that was also a major test of empathy, placing the audience in Charlie’s shoes and making them wonder whether they would stay with someone who did something as heinous as Emma. One could look at this one note, but the film has enough moral tests to make the runtime more than worth it.

There aren’t many aspects where the film struggles in its overall execution, but Borgli could’ve been a little more nuanced in his dissection of Emma’s secret. For much of the film, Emma’s secret is played for laughs, especially in flashback sequences. While those comedic sequences worked for the film, Borgli could’ve done more with the conversation surrounding Emma’s secret. Her secret involves something that is extremely topical in the cultural landscape, and Borgli could’ve delved more into what causes people to end up like Emma. Doing so would’ve added more layers to the film and made it a more thematically rich experience overall.

Littered with year-best hilarious sequences, The Drama once again shows Kristoffer Borgli’s talents as a filmmaker, delivering a chaotic yet always engaging experience that subverts expectations at every turn. With an insightful look at love and morality, this film sparks discussion due to its controversial subject matter. Not only does this hammer home Zendaya and Robert Pattinson’s movie-star prowess, but it also shows that Borgli has a knack for uncomfortable and impactful cinema.

The Drama is now playing in theaters nationwide.

Rating: 8/10

Oscar Prospects:

None