First reviews are out for The Drama, the buzzy A24 feature drama starring Zendaya & Robert Pattinson.
Directed by Norwegian writer-director Kristoffer Borgli (Dream Scenario), the film also stars Mamoudou Athie and Alana Haim. The plot is said to follow a happily engaged young couple whose relationship is put to the test when an unexpected turn sends their wedding week off the rails.
The early reviews are mixed; however, there appears to be a consensus among the critics about the quality of Zendaya and Pattinson’s leading performances.
In his review, Deadline’s Pete Hammond described The Drama as “a darkly funny, yet explosively honest movie” that “may not be what you expect at all going in, but one that is bound to spark spirited conversation when you are walking out.”
Hammond also praised Pattinson’s efforts in the film, describing his turn as a “career-best performance.”
Canada’s CBC described the film as “imperfect, controversial, and fascinating.”
The publication said “there’s a near-endless level of discourse just waiting to be had” about the film’s much-talked-about plot twist, but warned that it could also alienate audiences.
“Pattinson and Zendaya’s morose, squirm-inducing, watch-through-your-fingers-style comedy stands a greater chance of alienating mainstream audiences than enraging them,” the review read.
The Australian newspaper panned The Drama, describing the feature as a “repulsive, one-star mess” in a highly critical review. But there was high praise from the UK’s Guardian newspaper, which argued the film successfully “delivers on its promise.”
“The Drama has the spiky, ingenious, tasteless style of his previous film Dream Scenario, and both are superior to his unsubtle narcissism comedy Sick of Myself,” the newspaper wrote.
“It offers us a provocation, a jeu d’ésprit of outrage, a psychological meltdown that is more astutely articulated than in many another more solemnly intended film. And it gives us what it promises in the title.”
Mashable described the flick as a “cringe comedy” while US Today heaped praise on the lead performances, describing both Zendaya and Pattinson as “strong” on screen.
“Zendaya’s is the more quietly powerful of the two, juggling the heavy emotions of a wedding with her world quickly falling apart around her,” the newspaper wrote. “Meanwhile, Pattinson is like a manic roller coaster on screen, increasingly off the rails as the weight of Emma’s reveal has Charlie questioning everything and reacting badly to the situation. Then there’s Haim, so full of venom and vitriol, who, depending on one’s perspective, is low-key the hero or villain of the film.”
In a four-star review, Empire Magazine said The Drama is “hilarious in that cruel, keen way that Borgli has proved to be a specialist.”
“It bends towards the same arch cringe comedy that he explored in his fantastic second feature Sick Of Myself, an equally dark dramedy about a woman so jealous of her partner’s successes she obsessively and loudly fakes a severe illness,” the magazine wrote.
The Independent made a bold prediction and described The Drama as the “most uncomfortable film of the year.”
“The Drama asks questions I’m not sure I have the answer to. And that makes me uncomfortable,” the newspaper wrote. “It makes me feel exposed and challenged. It also makes me want to talk about it with every person I meet. And if that’s not the point of art, then what is?”
The Drama arrives in theaters on April 3.