‘The Drama‘, the film written and directed by Norwegian Kristoffer Borgli who crossed the Atlantic for several years and is now making films in the United States, combines in a surprising and original way two film genres that are apparently light years apart: the romantic comedy and the social film about the tragic phenomenon of violent acts committed in American schools by students who have too early and too easy access to lethal weapons. The social pressures and prejudices amplified by the accelerated speed of spreading rumors in the constantly connected world we live in are questioned. The pretext seems frivolous, like in many romantic stories on screens, but the stakes are immense and the issues raised deserve a debate that only begins in the cinema, but will continue among many who have seen the film.
Emma and Charlie form a couple who seem to be living a love story like in the movies. The chance meeting turns into a lightning-fast love story that quickly evolves into the planning of a dream marriage. When they meet at a restaurant with their best friends, Rachel and Mike, to plan the last details of their wedding, a trivial conversation and a game about ‘truths of life’ trigger a catastrophe. Slightly intoxicated by alcohol, Emma tells of an episode from her adolescence in which she came close to committing a crime. Rachel is outraged, Charlie begins to have doubts about the beautiful woman he is linking his life to. The wedding preparations continue, but with hurdles. Will the two young people manage to overcome the distrust aroused by the revelation of secrets from the past? Was the episode from Emma’s past just a teenage mistake or perhaps the sign of serious personality disorders and a symptom of a social illness widespread in American society? The judgments of those around her, perhaps their prejudices, do not help to clarify the situation, on the contrary.
The mix of themes is a bit eclectic and perhaps screenwriter Kristoffer Borgli could have reduced the number of topics undertaken directly or in passing, focusing on the central thread that is important enough to support the film. Director Kristoffer Borgli, however, manages to sustain the pace and create a constantly interesting action. Zendaya is one of the hottest names in Hollywood today and she manages, together with Robert Pattinson, to create a believable couple on screen that viewers become attached to, a couple that struggles with the prejudices of those around them, but especially with themselves in an attempt to overcome an abysmal crisis. I also liked Alana Haim, another talented and rising actress, whom I have noticed in several other films. ‘The Drama‘ isn’t perfect as a story (the ending is also a bit long and predictable) or as a production, but it’s an interesting film that raises difficult issues and addresses them in an open style, avoiding judgments. It is, if you wish, proof that romantic comedy can also address themes with substance, going beyond the condition of simple entertainment.