The Drama Review

Robert Pattinson and Zendaya play Charlie and Emma, a happily engaged couple who, before a wedding, learn a secret from Emma’s past that throws their whole relationship into a tailspin.

I was very impressed with the tone of this movie because it starts out feeling like a classic Woody Allen-Nora Ephron type romantic comedy, very laid-back and sweet, then the secret comes out, and then it feels like you're in a psychological 70s movie like Taxi Driver or an awkward comedy like Being John Malkovich. Now these tones are very different and should not really work together, but I have to give props to the director Kristoffer Borgli for finding that perfect balance.

Zendaya is very good as Emma; she brings a confident charm and fun demeanor to the romantic scenes, but I was pleasantly surprised how well she was at playing nervous and introverted for the more dramatic scenes. That's something I haven’t really seen from her before, and she did an excellent job.

Robert Pattinson also did a good job playing the two different tones; the first part is very reminiscent of Hugh Grant in 90s movies, very charmingly befuddled. But once things get more tense, Pattinson doesn't do an effective job at leaning into the more awkward comedy bits and making the audience feel uncomfortable with his character but not lose empathy for him.

Alana Haim and Mamoudou Athie play Charlene, Emma‘s best friend/best man and maid of honor, and they both give strong, supportive performances. Haim’s character also fluctuates a little between being sympathetic and being likable, but not in a way you don’t understand.

The film's topic is rather heavy and serious, but the film manages to explore this theme in a very empathetic and rather nuanced take that I haven’t seen much of, so I appreciate all the effort and mixing of tones. The filmmakers did; it was quite effective.

I quite enjoyed the directing throughout the film. Borgli injects a lot of creative montages in dream sequences to convey the story throughout, which I found very effective, not to mention a surprising amount of cameras throughout, which effectively conveyed the characters' rising insecurities and intentions in a very subtle, but effective way

The cinematography was very gorgeous, a lot of natural lighting and soft color palette, which fit the wedding aesthetic, but was also a nice position with the more serious elements of the film

A nice pleasant surprise was Hailey Gates as Charlie’s coworker, I feel like that role could’ve been a very straightforward and underwritten character, but Gates brought a lot of nuance and “character” to the part that was refreshing, felt like a real person‘s reactions, and a nice bit of subtle humor

I will say some of the awkward humor can get very “squirm in your seat” for certain viewers so be aware going in, but I think it’s nothing too outrageous that it will take away from the story

The film was well paced and had some interesting editing choices, very artsy and creative

The music/soundtrack was quite effective and was very diverse in it’s tracks and tone.

I would say the movie’s main theme is “Would you judge someone for the worst thing they ever did?" And as previously stated, not only do I think it was explored in a very nuanced and mostly believable way, but a story like this can really depend on the ending, and personally I think the story had a very satisfying ending that also fit with the characters and the overall story.

The drama is an interesting work about a couple's relationship and is good at presenting a dilemma to the audience and prompting them to explore their own thoughts and feelings on the subject in a very nuanced and almost darkly silly kind of way. This is helped with a great cast, wall, strong performances, creative film techniques, and a surprising amount of heart and understanding. I give the film four stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, although I definitely don’t recommend this movie as a first date flick, not unless you want a slightly awkward car ride afterwards 😂.