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Robert Pattinson and Zendaya in \u201cThe Drama.\u201d<\/p>\n
A24<\/p>\n
This article contains major spoilers for \u201cThe Drama.\u201d<\/p>\n
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About halfway into the new A24 dark romantic comedy \u201cThe Drama,\u201d the characters played by Oakland\u2019s own\u00a0Zendaya<\/a> and \u201cTwilight\u201d hunk Robert Pattinson are meeting with their wedding photographer and taking a few test shots. They grimace at the camera, leading the photographer to remind the couple that they know each other really well. And, you know, are in love.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n It\u2019s a cringey moment, but this darkly cynical film kicks off in a more adorable fashion, as bumbling British art historian Charlie (Pattinson) spots Emma (Zendaya) reading by herself at a cafe. He approaches her and pretends to have just finished the book she\u2019s reading, but his pickup line\u00a0falls on deaf ears \u2014 literally, as Emma is deaf in her right ear. Charlie, thinking she\u2019s ignoring him, retreats and then comes back to apologize, into her good ear, and stumbles his way into a first date and a meetup that he plans to rehash for his wedding speech.<\/p>\n The film flashes forward to a blissfully engaged Charlie and Emma tasting their way through a potential wedding menu with their best man Mike (Mamoudou Athie, \u201cKinds of Kindness\u201d) and maid of honor Rachel (Alana Haim, \u201cLicorice Pizza\u201d). The trouble \u2014 and the controversy \u2014 starts here, when they begin playing a game in which they reveal the worst thing they\u2019ve ever done.<\/p>\n If you\u2019d like to stay spoiler-free, here\u2019s where you should stop reading.<\/p>\n Mike shares an anecdote about using his then-girlfriend as a human shield during a dog attack. Rachel says she locked a childhood friend in a closet. Charlie cops out with a benign anecdote about cyberbullying a classmate until they moved away (likely unrelated). Then Emma shares her worst story, which serves as the film\u2019s pivot point from gushy to distressing.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Make SFGATE a preferred source so your search results prioritize writing by actual people, not AI.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Emma reveals that, as a teen, she planned and nearly executed a school shooting. Rachel, whose cousin was paralyzed in a school shooting, has a particularly visceral reaction, which triggers a fit of self-doubt in Charlie. Can he spend the rest of his life with someone who so seriously contemplated murder? He now knows his fiancee a little too well, resulting in that uncomfortable photo shoot and a disastrous wedding day.<\/p>\n Naturally, A24 hasn\u2019t publicly revealed the film\u2019s odd turn, and the marketing blitz behind the \u201cThe Drama\u201d includes a kitschy wedding chapel in Las Vegas, which Zendaya recently crashed<\/a> to serve as a witness for two strangers.\u00a0<\/p>\n The promo stunt does little to prepare viewers for how morbid the film becomes. The rest of the film features flashbacks to a teenage Emma (Jordyn Curet) as she prepares to enact the shooting, practicing her aim in the woods with her father\u2019s rifle (which results in her deafness) and going so far as to record a manifesto video and bring a weapon to school. She abandons the plan and then ironically ends up joining a group advocating for gun control, but the change in her does little to dissuade her fiance.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Robert Pattinson and Zendaya in \u201cThe Drama.\u201d<\/p>\n A24<\/p>\n The stressful and uncomfortable plot twist elevates the film out of normal rom-com territory and into a much more sinister place, buoyed by a fantastic script and strong performances from the leads as their idyllic romance spirals out of control. But it has led to some vocal criticism.<\/p>\n Speaking to TMZ<\/a>, Tom Mauser, whose son Daniel was killed during the Columbine High School shooting in 1999, condemned the unexpected revelation in the film, calling the use of adolescent violence \u201cawful\u201d and that the casting of\u00a0Zendaya \u201chumanizes\u201d and \u201cnormalizes\u201d a reprehensible act. Mauser also took issue with an interview on \u201cJimmy Kimmel Live!\u201d<\/a> in which he believes Zendaya makes light of the film\u2019s plot pivot as she discusses viewer reactions.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cEverybody has their own kind of feelings leaving the theater, especially with the big twist, and there\u2019s so many conversations that are had after you watch it,\u201d Zendaya said to\u00a0Kimmel, before stressing that she hopes viewers can stay spoiler-free (sorry!).<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cWithout revealing anything, I could see this movie causing a lot of problems for a lot of people in their personal lives,\u201d\u00a0Kimmel said.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, those conversations can go many ways,\u201d Zendaya replied.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n