Kristoffer Borgli has a cinematic language that feels like it’s vibrating at a slightly different frequency than everyone else’s. Dream Scenario already proved he wasn’t interested in copying anyone, and The Drama confirms it. The film is built on sharp edits, sudden bursts of memory, quick flashes of imagination, and abrupt shifts in perspective. You are constantly moving between the present timeline, real flashbacks, and imagined scenarios, and the film never pauses to explain which is which. You have to stay alert. You have to lean in. And the reward is a narrative style that feels alive.
What makes this approach even more impressive is how much comedy comes out of it. The film gets some of its biggest laughs from the way Borgli weaponizes editing, letting awkwardness, panic, and emotional conflict collide in the cut. It’s smart, it’s efficient, and it’s unmistakably his.
Writing That’s Sharp, Sarcastic, and Surprisingly Warm
The writing is smart, engaging, sarcastic when it needs to be, and surprisingly warm when the story demands it. The film hides a major secret in its first act, and once it is revealed, everything shifts. The trailer had to dance around this moment, and I will not spoil it here because the film works best when you walk in blind.
What I can say is that the script gives you everything you need to understand the four main characters. Their motivations make sense. Their choices feel justified. Their emotional reactions feel earned. The comedy grows naturally out of their conflicts and dilemmas, never feeling forced or inserted for effect. The entire theater was laughing throughout the film, and the laughter always came from the characters’ struggles, not from cheap jokes.
Performances That Hit Every Emotional Register
Zendaya delivers one of her best performances to date. I was not always a fan, but Dune Part Two changed that, Challengers reinforced it, and The Drama sealed it. She brings real vulnerability to her character. She can be charming, funny, attractive, melancholic, and emotionally exposed, sometimes all within the same scene. You feel her internal conflict. You understand her pain. You relate to her even when she is not making the best decisions.
Robert Pattinson matches her with a performance that is magnetic and quietly chaotic. He is the source of much of the film’s comedy, but never because he is trying to be funny. The humor comes from his confusion, his emotional turmoil, and his attempts to stay composed while everything around him unravels. It feels natural. It feels earned. It feels like the writing, directing, and acting are all working in perfect sync.
Alana Haim and Mamoudou Athie add depth to the moral and ethical dilemma at the center of the story. Their performances are grounded and sincere, and they help shape the emotional stakes of the film.
Cinematography, Editing, and Music Working in Perfect Sync
Arseni Khachaturan’s cinematography gives the film a grounded and intimate tone. The images feel lived in, and the visual texture supports the emotional weight of the story. The editing by Joshua Raymond Lee and Kristoffer Borgli is one of the strongest elements of the film. The sudden cuts, the shifts between timelines, and the imaginative sequences all help define Borgli’s vision.
Daniel Pemberton’s music completes the atmosphere. His score elevates the dramatic moments and enhances the comedic ones. It never overwhelms the film. It simply supports it with precision.
An Ending That Stays With You
The ending does not give you a clean answer. It is not definitive. It is reflective. It leaves you with space to think, to imagine, to fill in the emotional gaps yourself. It asks you to put yourself in the characters’ place and consider what you would do. It lingers in your mind long after the credits roll.
Final Thoughts
The Drama is a very well made film. It has excellent performances, a strong moral and ethical core, and a narrative style that keeps you alert and engaged. It is funny in ways you do not expect, emotional in ways you do not see coming, and thought provoking long after you leave the theater. You walk in expecting one thing, and you walk out with a head full of questions and emotions you did not anticipate.
It is the kind of film that stays with you because it refuses to give you easy answers. It trusts you to think, to feel, and to reflect. And that is what makes it special.
