How Not to Keep Skeletons Hidden in Your Closet: A Review of Borgli’s ‘The Drama’
Scarlett Sheehan reviews Kristoffer Borgli’s ‘The Drama’
How much does our past impact our present and future? This weighty philosophical question acts as the backbone of Kristoffer Borgli’s new feature The Drama which stars Zendaya as Emma and Robert Pattinson as Charlie, a young engaged couple just days out from their wedding. I recently watched this film at Hyde Park Picture House and was in awe of how it explores the trials and tribulations of uncovering past skeletons lurking in the closets of partners as well as external pressures and impacts on how to deal with secrets.
If spoilers scare you, look no further – you’ve been warned!
During a wedding preparation menu and wine tasting, Emma and Charlie are met with the loaded question of ‘What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?’ from their friends, Rachel and Mike. The couple share their personal stories with the promise that Emma and Charlie will also spill the secrets of their past. Unfortunately though unsurprisingly, Emma and Charlie are on completely different wavelengths; Charlie struggles to come up with something and ultimately settles for a shaky story on cyberbullying whilst a hesitant Emma reveals a much more sinister plot. She confesses to planning a school shooting as a younger teenager which quickly descends into chaos and confrontation during the drunken wedding preparation. From here on out The Drama unfolds.
From the rumblings I have heard, this film is quite Marmite – though unlike the spread I am a fan. Whilst maybe yes there are parts of the plot that are predictable I love the (initially) tender depiction of Emma and Charlie as a couple; I love the nuances of their relationship and how it mirrors real life comfort and stability between healthy partners – I mean what’s a relationship without a couple of jokes and jests and the ability to pull down your partner’s trousers to quickly switch up their seriousness. Something else that I personally appreciated was the decently real dialogue. Obviously, no film script features truly authentic dialogue without improvisation though watching the friends interact – most specifically in the way that they told stories – I could imagine experiencing or witnessing similar conversations and mannerisms.
I was quite encapsulated throughout this film, at 1 hour 45 minutes, it was the perfect length for a film of this nature, I wasn’t left wanting anything more and I didn’t feel as though it dragged on. Parts of it truly made me cringe, though not in a poor script quality what am I watching kind of way but more in a how can this possibly get any worse kind of way. The depth and detail that was given to us as an audience was brilliant. The slow but sure uncovering of the onion-like layers of Emma’s past and her plans to carry out a mass shooting were perfectly executed. From conversations to flashbacks, costume to set design and social commentary this film really had it all.
Flashbacks are an interesting one when it comes to films – sometimes they can be a bit janky and disconnected without adding anything of substance to the plot, though in The Drama they feel seamless and thoroughly necessary. Not only do they focus in on the chronology and depth of Emma’s disturbing plan but they also provide insight into the ever circulating and overwhelming fears of Charlie’s by switching Zendaya for Jordyn Curet (who plays Emma’s younger self) in some scenes. The warping of memories and moments within Charlie’s mind mirrors the distorting effect that trauma and/or stress can have on one’s memory.
Another key takeaway from this movie for me was the highlighting of stark communication gaps. Despite the fact that the couple were constantly discussing the situation and having it out, neither were seeking to understand, only to be understood. This again felt very realistic. The result of this was anger, frustration, sadness and a plethora of negativity that manifested in truly ugly ways – such as Charlie’s infidelity right before his wedding.
The nature and relevance of social commentary is very important within this feature. Gun violence has been and is still a very real, very pressing issue across the United States with school shootings being a frequently dystopian reality. Charlie even at one point mentions this being a nationwide problem. This film highlights the ease and accessibility for gun-related violence and school shootings to continue. Not only is this extremely important in highlighting the problematic nature of gun usage but also by using a young teenage girl as the potential perpetrator it comments on how easily accessible guns are and how anyone can destroy lives or have lives destroyed through partaking in these acts of violence.
I also have to take a brief moment to appreciate the beauty of Emma and Charlie’s apartment. It is so well furnished and decorated whilst perfectly matching the couple’s style and vibe. Whilst they can’t exactly communicate the best, they sure know how to decorate!
The wedding scenes. Now this escapade was a trainwreck – both for the characters and the viewers. It was so uncomfortable that I couldn’t look away. The inability for people to leave well-enough alone is thoroughly highlighted here where gossip is exchanged, attempted to be reversed and instead made so much worse. The decision to have such a problematic wedding added a sense of reality – although thoroughly dramatised, this part of the film moved away from picture-perfect wedding days often conveyed in features. From Emma’s ever-growing anxieties around the escalation of her situation and the potential for the horrors of her past to resurface to the drunken and disorderly fights, the audience is drawn in to an oversaturation of catastrophe.
As a whole, the film is amazing; it portrays the good, the bad and the ugly of relationships, difficult pasts and weddings. The film presents a myriad of difficulties and disputes in the form of: who to prioritise your best friend or your partner; how do you overcome learning opinion altering truths about those you love; and is every situation salvageable? The ending of the film offers a somewhat open-ended possible outcome whilst simultaneously neatly tying everything together by mirroring the couple’s first interaction as well as encompassing other niches of their relationship. It really begs the question: can we salvage and solve all drama?
Words by Scarlett Sheehan