A happily engaged couple is put to the test when an unexpected turn sends their wedding week off the rails. A film by Kristoffer Borgli, starring Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Alana Haim, Mamoudou Athie, Hailey Benton Gates, Sydney Lemmon, Hannah Gross, Anna Baryshnikov, Jordyn Curet, Michael Abbott Jr., Dee Nelson, Damon Gupton, Ken Cheeseman, Doria Bramante, Jordan Raf, Jeremy Levick, Sam Zimman, Celia Rowlson-Hall, Greer Cohen, Shawn Fogarty, Michele Proude, Kelly Butler, and Zoë Winters.

The film opens in a café where Charles “Charlie” Thompson (Robert Pattinson), Head Curator of the Cambridge Art Museum, experiences what looks like love at first sight. He spots Emma (Zendaya) reading alone by the window. When she steps away, he sneaks over to check the title: The Damage by Harper Ellison.

After snapping a quick picture and reading up on it via Goodreads, Charlie approaches her. He casually lies about finishing the “incredible” book last week, but Emma does not even acknowledge his presence. Crushed, Charlie heads back to his table and packs up his things.

Before walking out the door, he decides to try one last time. This time, Emma notices him. Pulling an EarPod from her left ear with a startled look, she asks what he just said. Flustered, Charlie insists he is not hitting on her and that he just admires the book.

Emma then reveals that she is deaf in her right ear, but can hear perfectly out of the left. Charlie is visibly relieved, as she wasn’t ignoring him at all. Emma smiles and asks if he wants to start over, sparking the beginning of their relationship.

Fast forward to the present day, and the couple is just a week away from their wedding. Charlie, now engaged to Emma, is busy drafting his speech for the ceremony. He fondly recounts their first meeting and all the things he loves about her, trying to distill his feelings onto the page. As he reads his drafts aloud, his best man Mike (Mamoudou Athie) listens and weighs in on what should or shouldn’t make the cut.

Later that night, as the couple walks to a hotel to meet Mike and his wife Rachel, Charlie notices something troubling across the street.Later that night, as the couple walks to a hotel to meet Mike and his wife Rachel, Charlie notices something troubling across the street. He spots their wedding DJ, Pauline (Sydney Lemmon), standing on a corner and appearing to smoke heroin. When he mentions it to Emma, she assumes he must be mistaken. So she doubles back to look for herself and clearly sees Pauline smoking something from a piece of foil.

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@pradt

The DRAMA 💍
Every wedding has some.
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A film by Kristoffer Borgli, starring Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Alana Haim, Mamoudou Athie, Hailey Benton Gates, Sydney Lemmon, Hannah Gross, Anna Baryshnikov, Jordyn Curet, Michael Abbott Jr., Dee Nelson, Damon Gupton, Ken Cheeseman, Doria Bramante, Jordan Raf, Jeremy Levick, Sam Zimman, Celia Rowlson-Hall, Greer Cohen, Shawn Fogarty, Michele Proude, Kelly Butler, and Zoë Winters.

Written and directed by Norwegian filmmaker Kristoffer Borgli, The DRAMA is a psychological black comedy about a happily engaged couple whose relationship unravels after a disturbing confession surfaces just days before their wedding.

Unlike his previous film, DREAM SCENARIO, which surrealistically blended dark comedy and fantasy, The DRAMA is a strange mix of black comedy and childhood trauma. While it leaves nothing to the imagination, the film feels somewhat shallow, never truly exploring the psychological depths of adolescence.

Zendaya and Robert Pattinson are charming as the goofy and awkwardly cute couple, Emma and Charlie. However, both they and the supporting cast feel one-dimensional, with little room for development.

The narrative is frequently interrupted by wild hallucinatory sequences and flashbacks to Emma’s past. At times, Emma’s teenage self even bleeds into Charlie’s thoughts, making the whole experience unsettling on multiple levels.

The DRAMA premiered in in Los Angeles on 17 March 2026. The film was theatrically released in the United States on 13 April by A24.