The Drama, written and directed by Kristoffer Borgoli, is both intriguing and surprising. Despite trailers that suggest a quirky romantic comedy, the movie ends up being much darker and messier. The Drama makes you uncomfortable in a way you can’t look away from while expressing dark themes that induce anxiety in viewers.

The story begins with a movie-perfect meet-cute between Charlie Thompson, played by Robert Pattinson, and Emma Harwood, played by Zendaya. The story quickly moves to uncomfortable questions of their love and whether people can truly move on from the worst parts of someone’s past. The movie opens as Charlie awkwardly approaches Emma in a coffee shop, their relationship quickly sparking with chemistry. Their connection is quickly established, making the impending trouble even more jarring. During a drunken pre-wedding dinner game, the couple and their friends, Mike (Mamoudou Athie) and Rachel (Alana Haim), reveal the worst things they’ve ever done. Emma’s confession becomes the central narrative of the movie, spiraling her relationship with Charlie into chaos, and also straining the relationships she’s built with family and friends because of her attempts to cover up her past.

The Drama’s transformation into a dark comedy questions the limits of unconditional love. Borgli uses discomfort as a narrative device and paradoxically as also a source of humor. The Drama forces viewers to question whether someone should be defined by their past, as well as whether a person should stay with someone after learning something deeply disturbing about them.

However, the movie’s ambition often outpaces its execution. In several instances, the characters behave in unrealistic ways. Especially with Emma even after a big confession scene, her character receives less focus than you would expect. Instead, lots of screen time goes into Charlie’s unraveling, leaving the emotional elements of Emma’s character out of the movie.

From an acting standpoint, Zendaya and Pattinson carry the film with excellent performances that inject emotion back into the characters that the script left out. Zendaya navigates her character with an intensity that makes the viewer feel her emotions and reveal an authentic sense of hypocrisy to her character. Zendaya embodies an attractive yet awkward young woman who is unsure of herself, yet still has an assertive trait. Pattinson plays a charming British museum curator who matches Zendaya’s intensity, giving these characters a dynamic believability.

The Drama lives up to its name as a dramatic and emotional rollercoaster. It truly is a movie that makes you think. From insane plot twists to dramatic confessions, the movie is never boring, even if it doesn’t totally hold in its character development.