First Reactions to 〈The Drama〉: Cineplay Critic Gives It 3½ Stars

8/21/2026 5:49:00 PM

[First reactions]

You're invited to Zendaya ♥ Robert Pattinson's wedding! Ari Aster-directed romantic thriller 〈The Drama〉, starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, opens in South Korea on Sept. 9. 〈The Drama〉 centers on a happy couple nearing their wedding who confess secrets from their pasts, as their long‑dreamed perfect wedding week spirals into an unpredictable week of chaos. Cineplay reporter Kim Ji-yeon saw the film at a press screening and offers her take.

Kim Ji-yeon / 3½ stars / An 'unromantic comedy' woven from delusion, irony and the unconscious

Was this supposed to be a horror movie? It plays like an anti‑romantic comedy about taking romance apart. It belongs to the same 'nightmare comedy' lineage as Kristoffer Borgli's earlier films 〈Dream Scenario〉 (2023) and 〈Sick of Myself〉 (2022), and director Ari Aster's 〈Beau Is Afraid〉 (2023). Kristoffer Borgli has turned the twisted unconscious and delirious fantasies that seep through cracks in everyday life into blood‑soaked farce. His distinctive genre sensibility is as strong as ever. The bizarre‑delusion montages are among the film’s biggest pleasures. Robert Pattinson, as always, especially shines when playing a character who seems a bit unhinged.

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First Reactions to 〈The Drama〉: Cineplay Critic Gives It 3½ Stars

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