The Drama’s dark reveal is more than just shock for shock’s sake

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Warning: contains discussion of gun violence

The film The Drama is already generating buzz. Known for his dark comedy, writer and director Kristoffer Borgli explores the limits of a seemingly flawless relationship when Emma (Zendaya) drunkenly reveals a shocking confession – something she did, or nearly did, that deeply troubles her and her partner, Charlie (Robert Pattinson).

Everyone at the table had already confessed their most embarrassing or difficult experiences – like hiding from a dog behind a girlfriend or accidentally locking a child in a locker. But none of those stories seemed as serious as Emma’s: she revealed she had once planned a school shooting.

It’s no surprise this news has caused an immediate reaction. Charlie is now haunted by the image of his future wife as a teenager, picturing her with a rifle, seemingly prepared to harm her classmates. Many people, understandably, are upset by this development, including Tom Mauser, whose son Daniel was a victim of the Columbine shooting, and who has spoken out against the show, The Drama.

Simply calling this story sensational or a publicity stunt—even if that’s what attracted A24 to the filmmaker’s third movie—overshadows the film’s thoughtful look at violence in America.

Following a shockingly honest conversation, Charlie spends the rest of the film swinging between anger and trying to rationalize his relationship. He struggles to understand why teenage Emma is acting so cruelly, questioning who she really is and if he’s about to make a terrible mistake by marrying her so soon.

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It’s heartbreaking watching Charlie try to reconcile the sweet Emma he’s falling for with the person capable of such terrible violence. He desperately tries to make her see how wrong her plans are, talking to her and then to Rachel, hoping to reach them both. It all clicks when he remembers something from Emma’s childhood – a little girl who died in a car accident. Suddenly, I could see it – Emma as a kid, stumbling upon the wreckage, peeking inside at the girl slumped in the car, covered in blood. It was a truly disturbing image, and it explained so much about where her anger might be coming from.

He even tries to excuse Emma’s behavior to Rachel, who was particularly upset because her cousin Sam was paralyzed in a school shooting, claiming Emma was traumatized by this event. However, this explanation is completely false. Emma rejects Charlie’s attempt to diagnose her based on a casual conversation, pointing out she barely knew her neighbor and didn’t witness the accident.

Charlie, like many in the media, makes the mistake of focusing on past trauma as a way to explain someone’s violent behavior, rather than addressing the mindset itself.

This kind of storytelling can be seen in both negative and positive examples. Ryan Murphy’s Monster series, for instance, relies on tired tropes when portraying the motivations of figures like Jeffrey Dahmer and Ed Gein. In contrast, Lynne Ramsay’s film adaptation of We Need to Talk About Kevin powerfully depicts how a mother’s hidden resentment towards her son contributes to a tragic school shooting.

Even in Louis Theroux’s documentary, Inside the Manosphere, after speaking with some of the most openly misogynistic figures online, the film tries to explain their views by looking at the difficult childhoods and family lives that likely influenced them.

Kristoffer Borgli challenges the common idea that ‘hurt people hurt people’ in his film. He shows, through Charlie’s awkward attempts to justify Emma’s violent actions, how often such explanations are just a way to satisfy morbid curiosity, rather than genuine empathy.

While the show is often funny, it also touches on serious issues about American society and the violence that exists within it.

Emma hadn’t experienced trauma or severe bullying to explain her strong interest in gun violence. Like many young people who are heavily online, she’d become numb to violence and drawn in by its imagery and the way anger is expressed, in a culture where violence is constantly in the news and then often depicted in entertainment.

Emma struggles to explain her troubling fascination, because there simply aren’t easy answers. By forcing the audience to confront the unsettling perspective of someone who commits a shooting, Borgli offers a complex and thoughtful look at gun violence.

Although the beginning of ‘The Drama’ presents a surprising turn, the film quickly moves beyond simple shock value. With director Borgli’s characteristic dark humor, it delves into some unsettling realities.

The Drama is out now in cinemas.

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2026-04-03 19:20