Spoilers for “The Drama” below
We’ve all seen movies that launch subtle attacks onto our perceptions of relationships, whether they be challenging the boundaries of what it means to be a good partner, or dissecting the meaning of love in its entirety. One movie that does this is a new film, called “The Drama.” Charlie (played by Robert Pattinson) and Emma (played by Zendaya) are in a doting relationship and on the precipice of a loving marriage when a riveting secret is revealed about the soon-to-be bride. It is not some scandalizing affair, but rather a subject that remains unexplored in many areas of our lives as viewers.
After indulging in a night of harmless fun and spirits, Emma, Charlie, and two of their closest friends Rachel (played by Alana Haim) and Mike (played by Mamoudou Athie) all consecutively reveal the worst things they have ever done. In a fragile state of intoxication, Emma reveals that she planned to bring a weapon to her school and carry out a school shooting during her youth. After a bit of banter and playing it off as “dark humor,” Charlie, Rachel and Mike deduced that she was telling the truth. From the viewer’s perspective, nothing could penetrate Emma and Charlie’s perfect life. But this secret brings with it a myriad of questions, with a pressing one being, does our past influence our ability to be loved?
The unveiling of this secret served as a point of separation, and the idealistic exposition of the film’s was a point of no return. Charlie began to wrestle with his perception of his fiancée and struggled with his own image. How could someone he was devoting his entire life to have such a dark past? What is so captivating about this film is the methods by which the couple and their support systems reckon with Emma’s disturbing history. Charlie looks back in desperation to pinpoint moments in their relationship that could have indicated such a disparity in Emma’s psyche, which turns out to be a fruitless effort. He purges anything from their environment that could potentially remind Emma of this time in her life, including a mug with a firearm on it. He repeatedly converses with her regarding this time, asking her what stopped her from going through with it. She claimed that she just “didn’t.” This seems to be one of the most controversial elements of the movie, because viewers grapple with the motivations of those in a vulnerable position.
Emma explains that she had an extremely low self-image, which was coupled with depression and thoughts of harm. She was attracted to school shooting online subculture, and as she explained, this attraction validated her existence as a wayward teenage girl. She told Charlie of an inciting incident that pulled her out of this mindset, however. During her time as a schoolgirl, a shooting took place in a nearby location, resulting in the death of one of her peers. By being fully immersed into a culture of suffering, Emma leaned heavily into the movement against gun violence. This served as a stark contrast to her previously held ideology. During this time in her life, she attended a make-shift grief counseling session with her classmates in the gymnasium and started sobbing openly during one of the exercises. This shows what I and many other viewers believe to be the point in which she realizes her warped principles.
What is essential to understand here is the way a young and impressionable individual yearns for an identity that validates their feelings. Emma’s access to mental healthcare was limited. Instead, she gravitated towards a special form of validation, being the violent and destabilizing underbelly of violence in American culture. This film acts as an incredible commentary on an issue so widespread, yet so taboo in common discussion.
Viewers may disagree on the subject of Emma’s psychological evolution and her adoption of a recovery mindset, but her current actions speak louder than her history. Even in revealing the secret, she understood the weight that the statement held. She actively chose a life of peace instead of the alternative. One of the questions she asked Charlie following the reveal was if he wanted to go through with the wedding. This leads me to believe that she does not feel that others are obligated to accommodate her wishes. She does not want to lose the love of her life but understands the consequences of who she once was. Here, Emma displays a forthrightness that is only seen in the recovered. Her character is a testimony to those who once labeled themselves as unworthy, unforgivable, and unredeemable. She brought herself out of a dismal place and proves that others can too.
