A Spectacle of Morality
- carolinacastro81
- Jul 21
- 4 min read
An analysis of what is somehow A24's most conflicting movie to date.
By: Carolina Castro
Last week, I, like many others, went to watch “The Drama” in theaters. Alongside a room of viewers packed to the brim and a bucket of popcorn to hold me over, I got to experience the most emotional, crazy and, most importantly, conflicting movie I have seen in ages.
It was perfect.
“The Drama” follows Charlie (Robert Pattinson) and Emma (Zendaya) as they navigate their engagement and upcoming wedding. Following a drunken night of wine tasting preceding the big event, the couple confesses their darkest secrets to each other and their best friends, Rachel and Mike. It all takes a turn when Emma admits a shocking plan she had when she was a teenager, leaving the rest of the group at a loss for words (except for Rachel, who immediately makes herself the victim, but we can touch on her later).
The four shared their stories as a way of bonding and learning everything about each other before Emma and Charlie went through with their marriage.
Mike reveals he had used a past girlfriend as a “human shield” when they were both attacked by a rabid dog, Charlie reveals he had cyber-bullied someone to the point that they had moved away (though he denies that he the cause of this), and Rachel reveals she had locked her mentally disabled neighbor overnight in a closet inside of an abandoned trailer, and she never even admitted it to the police when they began a search party for him.
Emma, on the other hand, had planned to execute a school shooting when she was 15, but never went through with it because there was another shooting on the same day she had planned for.
Seeing everyone’s reaction to the shooting and the loss of one of their classmates, she realized the impact it would have had and decided to pivot and become an advocate for gun control. Rachel immediately jumped to make herself the victim, mentioning her cousin that had been wheelchair-bound due to gun violence, whom she had never brought up before.
All of this was to make Emma seem like the worst of the four, while the other three played off their own actions. While Emma’s plan was certainly morbid and wrong, she didn’t go through with it, begging the question: What’s worse? A terrible thought or a less-bad action?
What is so wonderful about “The Drama” is how much it makes you question every little detail. As the story goes on, we see that Emma has clearly changed, and while her secret would have been the worst had she gone through with it, she never actually did.
The other three, however, did go through with their actions, and they never show any true character progression. Mike is constantly hiding behind his wife, Rachel, so as to avoid confrontation; Rachel is still impulsive and can’t admit that she has done terrible things; Charlie is incredibly avoidant.
A core theme of the film is how outside opinions can ruin relationships. Had Emma and Charlie’s secrets just been shared between them rather than with their friends, they could have a mature conversation and Emma could have explained her side without Rachel jumping to judge her.
Instead, you’ll notice throughout the movie that Charlie is constantly seeking everyone else’s opinion as to how they would proceed, as he noticed Rachel and Mike reacted much more dramatically than he did. This leads to the climax of the movie in which he cheats on Emma with his coworker, and it all comes crashing down at the wedding as he can no longer contain himself.
Another core theme of the film is how beauty can distract you from what is truly going on.
Zendaya is one of the most beautiful women to grace this Earth, and this takes away from the gravity of her situation. Had she fit the profile of a stereotypical, creepy school shooter, the audience likely would have hated her and doubted her ability to change. Instead, it’s difficult to hate her since we are all rooting for her from the beginning.
Charlie is also pretty terrible throughout the movie; cheating aside, he is extremely immature and frustrating to watch, but you look past this because Robert Pattinson is looking the best he ever has.
Alongside this, Emma and Charlie’s apartment is one of the most beautifully curated spaces I have ever seen. While you’re supposed to be focused on the constant arguments and dilemmas going on in their home, you’re pulled away by the charming brownstone interior in the background. I still dream about their spiral staircase.
The overarching theme of the movie is morality, aiming to make the audience question what they would do in Charlie’s position. I personally had an hour-long conversation with a friend about how we would react and our answers are still inconclusive.
It’s difficult to say whether you’d leave a person for something they almost did at 15 years old when they’ve shown you that they’re clearly reformed. Emma was also in a vulnerable position at the time, being surrounded by the romanticization of school shooters and this dark aesthetic that appealed to her after feeling lonely most of her life. She quickly realized that she was idolizing a lifestyle that she didn’t actually want, and that’s why one can argue that her secret was nowhere near as bad as Rachel’s, for example.
Overall, I still don’t know what I would do in either of the protagonists’ positions, and that is why I love this movie so much. I haven’t had such a thought-provoking conversation in ages and it was incredible.
If you’re ever bored, I recommend reaching out to your friends and having this same conversation. I promise it will take up hours and you’ll leave more confused than when you entered.
Carolina is a second-year Marketing and Mass Communications student at the University of Florida, and she loves A24 films. She also has a newfound love for Robert Pattinson, no offense to Suki Waterhouse.
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