The Drama - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

The Drama



Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


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Movie
A24 Films is a studio that I pay attention to, no matter what the film they’re releasing is. While not every film they release is a good film (I’m going to go against the grain, but The Brutalist was one of the most overrated films I’ve ever seen them release), pretty much everything they release is worthy of being talked about. The Lobster is not a film I ever want to see again, but I don’t regret watching it once. Films like The VVitch and Enemy (probably the best film they’ve ever released) I can watch over and over again. So color me a bit curious to see Robert Pattinson and Zendaya starring together in a contentious drama, aptly named The Drama. Pattinson was the biggest heartthrob of the 2005-2010 era, and Zendaya has basically become the female Pedro Pascal, having been put in every production from the last few years till at least 2028. And seeing the two of them together in a film that is outside the status quo is something I could not pass up.

The question of The Drama is the age-old question of “does love conquer all?” And the answer to that is a complicated “Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiind of”. The story itself is pretty simple, but plays out in a very arthouse-style narration, with brutal quick cuts and a fractured narrative that tells pieces of the story, only to bring it together later on. In it, we meet Emma (Zendaya) and Charlie (Robert Pattinson), a young couple who met at a coffee shop, bonded over a book that Charlie pretended to read, and subsequently end up engaged. But after a simple impromptu game of truth or dare (or more accurately, “never have I ever”) a salient truth comes out in the form of Emma having planned a horrific event when she was a lonely and depressed teenager.

And here is the crux of the entire narration. How things play out after learning that your intended spouse may have a darker past, and the eventual discussion and rationalization of morality and its place in our lives. And even more horrible, how other people’s opinions and imaginations can warp their perspective of the other person and change them from something they thought they were, into something even further from the actual truth. Is this being a bit cryptic? Yes. But I have a reason for it, as the huge reveal that causes Charlie to start questioning Emma is kind of a doozy. And while it is certainly a horrific thought process that got her to where she was, the real horror happens in the modern-day setting. It’s the age-old question of “does love conquer all”, when “all” happens to be something in the other person’s past that doesn’t affect you, but it IS a part of the other person and shatters your entire opinion of them.

The Drama got a lot of negative feedback upon its initial release due to the fact that most people expected a rom com of sorts. Maybe not a cutesy fluffy one, being that this is an A24 production, but the trailer had MOST people expecting a rom com. Instead, we get a heavy Arthouse film with a bizarre premise and a very chaotic visual style that is anything BUT what one would expect from a rom-com. And to be fair, The Drama is not the most amazing film ever. The premise for why Charlie and Emma fracture their upcoming nuptials is kind of absurd on the surface, and when you dig even deeper, it feels just as absurd. And the disjointed chronology of events makes things even worse. I’m a huge fan of arthouse films (I hate to love them, and love to hate them), but this one feels way too disjointed for its own good. Probably the biggest redeeming factor in all of this is seeing Robert Pattinson and Zendaya in something that you normally don’t see them in. While Pattinson has a good history of doing oddball productions (not as oddball as his friend and Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe, mind you), he is still generally seen as a mainstream actor. And Zendaya is plastered across every blockbuster for the last 5 years, and it’s REALLY refreshing to see her act in a role that seems to fit her personality more (I know it’s weird, but her mainstream work paints her almost as unlikable, while here she feels more organic and approachable for some reason). But the supporting cast suffers from being sidebar characters with little or no appreciable growth or appeal. They’re just THERE.




Rating:

Rated R for sexual content, some violent/bloody images, language throughout, and brief drug use.




4K Video: Video:

One thing that I genuinely appreciate about the production is that The Drama was shot on old-fashioned Kodak 35mm film, and it looks wonderful. I know Digital is the rage these days (and technically the future defacto standard), but I grew up in a time period where film stock was normal, and it just has a visual texture that can’t be replicated. The image is sharp and clean, but with this textured feel that has a richness to the colors, as well as the actual depth. Fine details are generally well done, with amazing black levels (such as in the dimly lit apartment) and a great grain structure that is very light and soft. ALTHOUGH, that opening shot with the white coffee shop walls, ls I noticed a few spikes where grain got a bit rough and heavy. But that little niggle aside, The Drama sports a wonderfully filmic and lovely-looking image.








Audio:

Luckily, A24 is very aggressive in making sure most of the films get an Atmos mix, and The Drama features a really nice one. It may not be the wildest and craziest mix ever, but it is certainly dynamic and subtly nuanced. Dialog stays up near the front of the room most of the time thanks to this being a VERY talky film, but the ambiance is really where the track shines. The hubbub in the actual wedding ceremony has all channels firing on all four cylinders, and the melancholy score just oozes and seeps into every channel. LFE is moderate to mid at best due to the dramatic nature of the film, but we get a few door crashes or the chaos of traffic to add some nice low end when needed.

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Extras:

• Audio Commentary with Costume Designer Katina Danabiss, Production Designer Zosia MacKenzie, and Co-editor Joshua Raymond Lee
• Making-of-Featurette
• Wardrobe and Camera Test w/audio commentary
• ”Relationship Hotline” Promo
• ”Charlie and Emma” Wedding Video
• Six Collectible Postcards illustrated by Kristina Tzekova

Final Score: ​

I really liked the concept of The Drama more than I actually like The Drama. Which can really be said about MOST drama in real life as well. It’s a promising concept and a good casting of main leads, but it falls apart as it fails to push a narrative that resonates with the audience. AND its secondary characters (usually the lifeblood of these types of dramas) fail at being anything more than sidebar place setters. Add in the disjointed storytelling structure,e and you have the recipe for something less dramatic and more yawn-inducing. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the story for what it was, but it fell far short of its potential, and will probably turn most people off except for those fans who really love the oddball A24 texture of films. Technical merits are great, and fans of the film will love the 4K package. I’m going to put this as a “rental to make up your own mind” recommendation. This is going to be one of those films that you really enjoy, or don’t like in the slightest. No in-between.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Hailey Benton Gates, Alana Haim
Directed by: Kristoffer Borgli
Written by: Kristoffer Borgli
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 HEVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), English DVS
Subtitles: English SDH, English, Spanish
Studio: A24
Rated: R
Runtime: 106 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: July 7th, 2026

Recommendation: Rental to Make Up Your Own Mind