Back in December, the first teaser for Kristoffer Borgli's The Drama arrived online, and it kept things vague. It established that the movie stars Zendaya and Robert Pattinson as an engaged couple, and that things take a bit of a turn in the run up to their wedding, but it offered not much more. Now, we have the first full trailer for the film, and while it gives us a much better idea of what’s going on, I love that it’s still maintaining a big mystery.
Again, we find Zendaya and Pattinson (set to appear in three movies together this year) as Emma and Charlie, young people who are deeply in love, but there is a turning point when they have some wine with married friends played by Alana Haim and Mamoudou Athie. Haim’s character suggests that they do a kind of pre-wedding trust exercise by admitting the worst thing that they’ve ever done, and they go around in a circle making their confessions… but then the tone of the conversation changes when Emma spills her secret. Fun very quickly turns into fiery outrage, and it seems that the question that will be addressed in the movie will be whether or not the relationship can survive the revelation… whatever it happens to be.
It needs to be said that I am so, so, so happy that this trailer not only doesn’t give away Emma’s “worst thing,” but it teases everyone else’s “worst thing” as well. I don’t know if this is a detail that will successfully be kept under wraps as we get closer to the release date of the film and more marketing materials emerge, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed, as this is exactly the kind of thing audiences shouldn’t know about until they are sitting in a dark theater watching the drama/The Drama unfold on the big screen.
The film is Kristoffer Borgli’s follow-up to 2023’s Dream Scenario, and that alone has me interested in seeing this 2026 movie at the first opportunity (Nicolas Cage-led film was #10 on my personal Top 15 list for the year), but my anticipation for the work has now taken on a new flavor, as my curiosity about the darkness that is being cooked up here is perfectly tantalizing.
If you’re joining me on the anticipation train here, it should be known that there is still some waiting ahead, as we now have exactly two months before The Drama arrives in theaters everywhere on April 3 (courtesy of cinephile favorite indie studio A24). Mark your calendars now, and then join me in the adventure that will be trying to avoid any and all potential spoilers until the film premieres, as there will certainly be people in the world who can’t be patient and need answers now.
