In theaters in France since last Wednesday, “The Drama” relies on a surprising twist.
In the United States, Norwegian director Kristoffer Borgli’s boldness isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
Decryption, with SPOILER, of a comedy that combines romantic and controversial elements.
It’s a case study for marketing students. Prior to the release of “The Drama,” independent studio A24 decided not to reveal the protagonist’s secret—a lovely librarian about to marry her prince charming—fueling viewers’ imaginations with a trailer that gives a sense of a “slightly edgy” romantic comedy. They also spotlighted the glamorous image of its two stars, Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, elegant and smiling on red carpets, even laughing in interviews like the one they gave on “Bonjour! La Matinale de TF1.”
Based on initial box office numbers, the goal is achieved as Kristoffer Borgli’s film stands out against the blockbuster “Super Mario Galaxy,” earning $28.8 million in revenue across 17 countries, including France, since last Wednesday. However, in the US, some viewers are crying foul. If you plan to see the film soon, do not continue reading this article.
During the first third of the film, Charlie and Emma sample wedding wines when Rachel, their best woman, asks them to reveal the ugliest thing they’ve never dared to admit. Hers is quite dark. And when it’s the future bride’s turn, one can expect the worst. Yet, nobody anticipated that at age 15, she had planned to murder her classmates before changing her mind at the last minute. Discomfort around the table. And discomfort in the theater? In the US, where some clever individuals leaked the famous “twist” on social media, the situation is becoming astonishing.
On Thursday, the student organization March for Our Lives, founded by those affected by school shootings and advocating for better gun control, issued a warning on Instagram claiming that the promotion of “The Drama” is “deeply out of touch” with the depicted reality on screen. “We don’t want to spoil the film, but we have to,” they wrote before detailing the plot point by point.
“We understand that art can create discomfort and use humor to address difficult subjects,” assures March for Our Lives. “But when a topic like school shootings is treated lightly or used ironically, it raises a deeper question: what kind of discussions can we really expect?” In other words, the organization believes that rather than joking about couple’s secrets, Zendaya and Robert Pattinson could have used their fame to address a serious issue.
For Mia Tretta, a 21-year-old survivor of the Brown University shooting in Rhode Island in December 2025, the discomfort in the film resonates deeply. She, like many viewers her age, initially thought it was a silly romantic comedy. “And then I heard it wasn’t the dumb romantic comedy they were selling us but something much darker related to my life,” she tells USA Today.
“A character planning a school shooting isn’t something to laugh about,” she believes. “It’s a reality we have to face every day. After experiencing it, panic sets in whenever someone drops a book in the library.” For her, even the film’s title is problematic. “A school shooting has nothing to do with girls gossiping in class or stealing someone’s boyfriend.”
In his second feature film in the US, Kristoffer Borgli may have underestimated an extremely sensitive subject in America. “I wondered how I could be surprised or shocked,” he admitted in an interview with Le Figaro. “These school shootings, the free circulation of firearms, are social realities that can’t be ignored in America. It’s a subject that deserves to be addressed. Yet completely inappropriate for a romantic film,” he added thoughtfully.
At a time when gun violence in films and series in the US has increased by over 200% in 20 years, according to a study by the University of Pennsylvania last year, “The Drama” deserves credit for shaking things up by portraying a heroine who mirrors viewers, especially young ones. She’s a victim of school bullying, spends all her free time on social media, accesses a gun through her military father, and narrowly avoids a tragic fate. She even becomes a spokesperson for an anti-gun association for the sake of a boy in her class. In a humorous way, the filmmaker reminds us that the worst and the best exist within each of us. Yes, indeed.
Jerôme VERMELIN
