This past week, I took myself on a solo date to the movies, and I saw The Drama. I had a lot of thoughts before and even more after seeing the film.
If you haven’t heard of The Drama yet the film revolves around a couple, Charlie and Emma. Viewers follow them the week leading up to their wedding, and the wedding day itself. Throughout the film, there are various flashbacks to events in their relationship and childhoods. The week of their wedding Emma reveals something about her past that makes Charlie, and those in their circle look at them differently. From there, chaos ensues, and the couple’s future is up in the air. The first part of this review is spoiler free.
The Drama is a film that makes you think about how well can you know someone? Not just that, but also how well do you choose to know someone? Sometimes when people are in relationships, they don’t try to learn as much as they can about their partners. They form an idea of them, and over time believe that idea is reality when it typically isn’t. Throughout a relationship, there are points when it’s important to ask follow up questions or even pry into your partner’s history. It feels less like a betrayal when your partner reveals an unsavory thing about their past when you prompt them as opposed to finding out unexpectedly.
If you haven’t watched The Drama yet, I encourage you to. Just know you’re in for a wild ride that makes you question how much you know about your partner or future partner.
************************Spoilers Ahead***********************
After Emma reveals that she almost carried out a school shooting when she was 15, my jaw dropped. How does someone even consider carrying out a mass shooting let alone bring weapon to school to carry out the shooting? In the midst of feeling shock and disgust, I also felt sad for her. In the flashbacks, it’s obvious that Emma had a lonely adolescence especially when her family moved. Her parents weren’t around, she didn’t seem to have other family members or people in her circle to lean on, and the people at her school weren’t welcoming to her. Emma was looking for community, and sadly she found that in a group that encouraged her to commit a mass shooting.
Charlie, Mike, and Rachel were all in the right to feel completely aghast by what Emma revealed, but they never tried to understand Emma or what led up to this. I believe this is because Mike and Rachel were always Team Charlie as opposed to Team Charlie and Emma. For instance, if Charlie and Emma divorced, they would pick Charlie, and wouldn’t remain friends Emma anymore. Additionally, Rachel’s cousin became paralyzed due to a shooting, so this reveal is especially damaging to Emma and Rachel’s relationship.
Charlie and Emma were the definition of the “imperfect perfect” couple. They had their quirks and tiny flaws, but at the end of the day, nothing was virtually wrong with them. Especially when compared to Rachel and Mike’s relationship, Charlie and Emma seemed much more at peace with and understanding of each other. It’s why there relationship couldn’t handle a secret like this being revealed. They didn’t have the tools and to navigate a mess like this.
One scene I found especially interesting is when Charlie almost hooks up with Misha. I’m trying to understand why he did it. My initial theory was that he was trying to escape his current situation. Another idea I had is that maybe he wanted a secret as bad as Emma’s. In comparison to the other secrets revealed by Emma, Mike, and Rachel, Charlie’s is pretty inconsequential. He bullied a classmate, but his secret feels like an exaggeration to make it seem like he has done something bad. If he slept with Misha, Charlie would’ve had a secret closer to the level ofEmma’s. Even still sleeping with Misha wouldn’t have been as horrible which is why I think Charlie doesn’t.
Main Takeaways
My main takeaways from The Drama were first when you’re in a relationship, determine what your limits are. Figure out what is too much in a relationship for you. At what point do you need to step away from it. Lastly, as I was walking home from the theater, I thought about “Will “the one” accept everything a person had done?”. There’s this belief that “the one” is out there for everyone. The one person that is perfect for you, and will be the zenith of every romantic relationship you’ve had in every possible way. As I was pondering, I questioned whether Charlie and Emma were “the one” for each other. In my mind, if they were, Charlie would’ve reacted differently to Emma’s secret.
This film really was the drama. For a film with a runtime of less than two hours, it boggled my mind for awhile.
That’s all for this week y’all. I hope you enjoyed my review. Make sure to subscribe to be notified of new posts. Stay sharp 😉