Ep. 7: Is The Drama a Misunderstood Masterpiece? | Deep Character & Relationship Analysis

In this episode of The Cinephile Mind, Miguel, Nic, and Jack dive deep into one of the most talked-about films of the year: The Drama.

While reactions to the film have been divided, we make the case that The Drama may be one of the most misunderstood movies in recent memory. From its layered character dynamics to the emotional complexity of its central relationships, this is a film that demands patience and close attention.

We break down the performances from Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, discuss the chemistry that drives the film’s emotional core, and explore the recurring motifs and themes that shape the story.

This episode includes some spoilers as we analyze the film’s characters, symbolism, and deeper meaning.

Whether you loved the film, struggled with it, or are still thinking about it days later, this conversation dives into what makes The Drama linger long after the credits roll.

In This Episode:

• Why The Drama feels widely misunderstood
• Zendaya and Robert Pattinson’s performances
• Character motivations and emotional arcs
• Key motifs and symbolism
• Relationship dynamics at the heart of the film
• Why this film may age better over time

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Alright. Welcome to this week's episode of The Cinephile Mind. Jack and Miguel are here joining me to discuss the latest Zendaya and Robert Pattinson film, The Drama. The drama follows Emma and Charlie, a soon-to-be-married couple, and their wedding plans encounter some upheaval when the couple plays a game with their best man and maid of honor, sharing intimately the worst thing that they've ever done. And when Emma, the bride to be, shares her past, it causes some friction. I love this movie. I I found it to be really throwing you right into the thick of it. It tackles issues relating to violence and weapons. It tackles issues relating to forgiveness of the people you love and care about. New beginnings starting over, starting fresh. And it really misdirects you at a number of different points throughout the film about where the story's headed and what conclusions you might be able to draw from it. A lot of tense moments, a lot of funny moments in a darkly humorous way. The theater I was in was laughing out loud throughout the whole film.

SPEAKER_00 1:17

Beginning to the city. I wish I was in that theater because I wasn't laughing out loud, and I don't think anyone else was laughing around me, but I had a very vocal crowd too.

SPEAKER_02 1:25

Everyone was gasping, laughing. Yeah, wild ride. I thought it was one of the best trailer to movie experiences I've had recently, in terms of kind of I'd been seeing the trailer a couple times. I saw a couple variations of it, and I still by the time I was watching the movie, I did not know what I was in for and when the reveals were happening. And even when some of the scenes from the trailers were happening, being able to connect the dots of like, oh, that's why they were acting this way in the trailer was like a really great experience for me. So I I thought the I'm curious what y'all thought going into it just from seeing the trailer compared to when you actually find out what's going on.

SPEAKER_01 2:10

I completely agree, and I feel like that keeps coming up in our episodes of wanting spoiler-free moments or marketing for these movies, and then watching trailers and it's revealing too much. And I completely agree. I don't think that the trailer revealed anything substantial about what we were going to experience, but it also was enticing enough to get people curious and wanting to go to the movies. So I think it checked all of those boxes, and it's also interesting because a lot of the sort of tension that's built around that moment where they're sharing, you know, the the this worst thing that they've ever done is very early in the film, really, in the context of it. So the fact that they were able to market around that and not really spoiler reveal too much is incredible. So, I mean, one of the things that just immediately sticks with you in the film, and that's what causes so much of the tension is the moral ambiguity, and it's leaving you as the viewer questioning how you're supposed to feel about this worst thing that Emma, Zendaya's character, had ever done. And, you know, on its face, it is sort of an atrocious thought and plan when she was in school, I had thought of carrying out, but then that never actually happened. Just by chance, her plans were foiled. So then it's kind of just hanging over, building tension and causing some frustrations in, you know, this soon-to-be marriage. And again, it does play off of that in really interesting ways where you're at least I found myself going back and forth on, you know, would I be okay with this? Can I accept something like this dark or you know, horrific in someone else's past? And then the other interesting thing that, you know, I I guess maybe would be other people's takeaways too is Emma's character herself really doesn't seem to struggle as much with that sort of tension as the other characters. It's actually really mostly about the other people in her life perceiving her differently after she shared this, you know, this information about herself. So it's as much about people having like dark secrets or pasts as it is about how the world can perceive and embrace them and ultimately move to either forgive them or you know, kind of choose to cast them aside essentially. Yeah, I'm curious what y'all thoughts on that sort of aspect of it is.

SPEAKER_02 4:39

I mean, that that's exactly why I thought Alana Himes character Rachel was so important to this movie.

unknown 4:45

It really was.

SPEAKER_02 4:46

I mean, for I guess for two big reasons. I mean, one, in the in the scene where they're talking about the worst thing they ever did, Rachel actually did the thing and Emma thought about the thing. So it becomes this even though one is worse than the other, one wasn't acted on. So then you start thinking of the the ethics of thought. Yeah, can having an evil evil thought be like a a reason for canceling someone, whether that's a friendship or or or something bigger, and then also just Rachel becoming accusatory pretty quickly without thinking about what the friendship actually means to her and and who she knows Emma as a person. So yeah, it like quickly became Rachel as the villain, and then you almost start empathizing with Emma because and that that's where yeah, that that tension starts to build again, where you you almost feel for Emma, even though she just admitted something extremely heinous.

SPEAKER_01 5:43

Yeah, there were two interesting things with Rachel and and yeah, her worst things she'd ever done. One of them being just the kind of permission or you know, sort of excuse that she was giving herself of the what if. So what if, you know, this kid that she locked in a closet hadn't been found the next day. Um and so it was that like offloading this responsibility and seeing that as totally okay and not really morally ambiguous at all. And then the other thing being she seemingly lied in one scenario or another about the person that she committed this act to having some sort of mental handicap. At one point, she says that this person, you know, was mentally challenged, and then later like uses Charlie, Robert Pattinson's character of lying or embellishing that detail. So then that in itself becomes this sort of gray area of you know, how reliable of narrator and truthsayer is she herself, and then for her to be able to project or cast that judgment outward to someone like Emma just makes an interesting sort of point of view on it.

SPEAKER_00 6:55

Also, the question that um Charlie asked Emma was what made you now move forward with the drama? I thought that was very interesting because that is just as important as like thinking about it or moving forward with it. And I guess some people wouldn't appreciate all these flashbacks that showing a younger Emma. I thought it was done in a very comedic light way, but like at the same time, like yes, people would say, should we make light of such a serious topic like this? As I was watching it, I was very entertained, but at the same time I felt a little uncomfortable. But that's what the movie is supposed to make you feel.

SPEAKER_01 7:37

You mentioned the flashbacks, which I feel like you know they happen throughout, and then there's also sort of alternate scenes where it's showing, you know, something else as some other sort of motif. But it's basically the dual timelines of going back to Emma's past and then like present-day wedding planning, those sorts of things. And then the other place that it comes up is you know, she shares this story from her childhood of a childhood friend passing away in a car accident, and Charlie's trying to almost lead her to believe that that affected her deeply enough to plan or commit to wanting to carry out the drama. And so I guess there's like this interesting thought around her past and like traumas being resolved or unresolved or buried, and it's positioning it in these two sort of timelines. So I'm curious how you guys are viewing the flashbacks and those sorts of moments of trauma, and then it's carried forward into more the present day, where again she's seemingly more established and okay with things and you know, content in herself. And again, it's really more just the other people around her that are taking things from her past and digging it back up and making it into something new in the present day.

SPEAKER_02 8:57

Yeah, I I think the flashbacks were one of the things that made this movie for me. And and I think it's because of how complicated they were. Because you you are learning a lot about Emma because you're seeing where she came from in her past and kind of what drove her to experience that. But yeah, they were they were like deeply comedic, and I I thought that whether I was laughing, whether the person next to me was laughing, I was thinking about the fact that anyone was laughing. And that's kind of what started the thought for me of like, is this funny? And then why would it like like should it be funny? And I think that's that's a con that starts conversation, which I think is just one of one of the best things movies can be doing for us right now is starting conversations about these difficult topics, and then the movie does get serious when it needs to, so you know, it wasn't just funny throughout. Yeah. But yeah, man, the flashbacks were weird.

SPEAKER_00 9:55

Going back to when Charlie was telling Rachel about a past trauma, which is a reason why she was about to commit the drama, and we see Rachel, like, you know, starting to like empathize with Emma and her past. Maybe that is a legitimate reason why she even thought about it. But then obviously Charlie said something that's unhinged that forced Rachel to just lose the momentum of having like some empathy for Emma. But going back to like what you were saying, Jack, about Rachel's character, how important it is, because in that scene, it's kind of like very subtle commentary on like how people also perceive mental illness could, I guess, justif, not justify, but kind of explain why some of the bad things that are happening in this world well now that keeps coming up through the whole movie because they throw around like psychopath and like these terms that are diagnostic of someone through the whole movie.

SPEAKER_01 10:50

I mean, multiple characters do that, and it's again all through like this hearsay and reinterpretation of her own confession.

SPEAKER_02 10:58

Yeah, I mean you could tell Christopher Borgley is obsessed with psychoanalysis, which I think one of the things I found interesting was he he kind of used Charlie's character as like I know there were a few terms mentioned, terms of like the analysis, but I think that's another thing. The flashbacks could almost be visualizing what someone might experience if if they were working with psychoanalysts, like working through those memories, and then the way that sometimes Emma's younger self would transport into the present, whether through Charlie's eyes or through Emma's own view of herself. And so it kind of started to cross over from just being a flashback to being how they saw each other and how they saw or felt their child self. We can get into Borgli maybe later in this episode, but I I think he's a very interesting director that I'm sure we'll be hearing about for a while.

SPEAKER_01 11:45

I kind of came to this conclusion of like a possible sort of symbolic element. And I'm curious if you guys would agree or have like another take on this. And maybe it's like super literal or something, but obviously one of the things they present is Amherst Emma's character has hearing loss in one ear, and it's the result of sort of self-inflicted in terms of her preparing for this violence of the drama that she uh never carried out. But it's kind of framed initially as this sort of meet cute detail between her character and Charlie. And then, of course, as you learn why that happened, it's a little bit more dark. But I also, again, when I'm I'm thinking of it as like the symbolism of obviously communication and like people's selective listening or selective interpretation of things, or also how like certain truths or difficult things are only able to be perceived under the right conditions. So yeah, I'm curious if that's something that jumped out or clicked with you guys, or you know, maybe I'm reading into it too much.

SPEAKER_02 12:45

But I mean, I don't think you're I I didn't think of that. I also don't think you're reading too much into it. I think that's a I mean, what's what's the first thing we see when the movie starts? You know, it's a close-up of her ear. And so kind of what's funny is I think I think the the movie starts happening so quickly. When the movie first started, I was like, oh, I wonder if this ear's important. Then I think I kind of got dragged into the movie to the point where I I forgot about that opening scene. But yeah, I mean, I think selective listening is definitely one of one of the like the biggest takeaways from this. Because you know, no no one's perfect, like it's cliche, but that's another just one of the broader themes is no one's perfect, and and where do you draw that line for yourself in terms of finding out things you might have not known about somebody and whether that's able to be bigger than the person you do know and the experiences you've had with them. So I'll probably be thinking about that more. I I like that as a symbol.

SPEAKER_00 13:36

Now I kind of want to rewatch it already from that lens.

SPEAKER_01 13:39

I think the the other side of it, quite literally, is also the use of like sound and music, which is was phenomenal. And also, full disclosure, I think that the theater next to mine was having some like loud moments or something. So I would hear things and wonder if it was happening in the screen I was at or if it was just bleeding in from the screen next door. But you know, like low rumbling type stuff, and truly I would have to go back and rewatch it to confirm that because I have no idea at this moment, but which reminds me of that scene with the DJ, which right, yeah. Definitely sound was pivotal, of course, in this movie. And then the music, even with their, you know, the they were rehearsing their first dance, and there was like some distinct selections with the music there too, which also would bring me to another point, but yeah, I'm just curious what y'all thought of the use of music and sound throughout.

SPEAKER_02 14:32

I mean, it's it's a playlist I'm gonna be listening to. I've I've already I've already got it saved on Spotify. But yeah, the DJ scene. I I know it's not music related per se, but that was pretty intense.

SPEAKER_00 14:43

The music really enhanced the tension that was happening throughout because there were so many uncomfortable conversations that were happening between all these characters, and they feel uncomfortable, we feel uncomfortable. So that that music was kind of just like there for the ride with us.

SPEAKER_01 14:58

There's an interesting use of music, Emma's use of this song to kind of break up their fights and tension and kind of looking at song.

SPEAKER_00 15:06

Because I was thinking about this. Was that the song that she played when she wanted to change their whole dance routine? Okay.

SPEAKER_01 15:14

Yeah. And that's kind of where we learn that that's where she why she does that, because Charlie tells the dance instructor she'll play this in like a jokey way when we're fighting or being surly with each other to kind of break up that tension. But the reason I wanted to focus in on that song is because, again, this like idea of starting over and new beginnings, and that song gets used and played throughout various moments to kind of reset things, which I found interesting because again, it's like this really tense movie, but also somewhat darkly humorous, and then they just intentionally use this device to smooth things over and reset and break through that tension.

SPEAKER_02 15:58

It also went, you know, by sharing that with the photographer that this is the song that mitigates the tension between them as a couple, we're then brought into one of their shared connections, which is this song. So after the climax, when we're not certain whether these two people will be together again, Charlie still plays that song while alone and beaten up, and it kind of brings him momentarily, like temporarily out of the slump. And I think that was impactful because it had been played throughout and because they had talked about why they used that song. And so, yeah, just thinking about that that scene near the end kind of gives me goosebumps because it was like Char Charlie is, you know, he's still the whole movie, he was kind of willing or even wanting to work through this as hard as it was for him to understand it. And by playing that song, you know, it wasn't it wasn't just for him, it was it was for both of them, even if they weren't together in that moment.

SPEAKER_01 16:53

How do you all feel about it? It's like all kind of under this umbrella of marriage, obviously not just as a theme, but they're using sort of building towards their wedding day as sort of this framework for them working through issues or finding acceptance for one another. And it also, you know, there's like moments where I think you only see Charlie writing his speech for Emma, and there's moments where it's you first have it presented to him reading it to the best man, I believe. And it's like this emotional thing, they're adding as much detail and color to you know the love they share and everything, and then from there it kind of goes to him learning the worst thing that Emma has done, and then he goes and quickly edits it, and then he starts to delete it. And then by the end, when it's actually them getting married, he throws that script completely out, and it's him talking from the heart, but really he goes off the rails completely. And by that point, he's the one that's really unraveled.

SPEAKER_00 17:54

The entire setting, like it took place pretty much the week of the wedding. Tensions are already high, add another layer on top of that, which is this revelation from Emma. It really is the perfect storm. Any other groom would be acting the way Charlie is already acting that week, but that was just like the cherry on top.

SPEAKER_02 18:12

That's that's a good point. Having given a speech at a wedding, it's with without any huge drama like in the movie, it's it's stressful. But yeah, then yeah, weddings in general, trying to plan it all. So that that almost yeah, allows I get that again, brings the audience into like already kind of a known tense time, and then to combine that with just broader morals and everything. But yeah, but yeah, I think Charlie's speech, even though it didn't go well, it is one of those moments where like your your sloppy true self is maybe better than you know, overly prepared speech. But yeah, I I guess it worked out in the end. I don't know. The the ending's still maybe you know, it's the new beginning.

SPEAKER_00 18:52

But I also love the way when he was re trying to rewrite his speech, and we see as an audience him deleting certain words and phrases. Empathy. Empathy, like you are the kindest person I've ever met.

SPEAKER_01 19:06

One thing I did love about this movie was the use, or I I should say it wasn't afraid to like follow or linger on supporting or minor characters longer than other movies would. So, one example that comes to mind is when they're trying out the catering and it follows the server back to the kitchen, and she mentions like off-handedly that you know it's not a bar after they'd asked for more wine. Obviously, we see, I guess, what we're led to believe is their DJ on the street corner having her own worst thing she's ever done moment, and then again kind of bringing that back into wedding planning, and they have to go through with firing her, the other DJ that comes in, getting more detail on, you know, we're hearing about the equipment that he brought in and why that's important. Like all minor characters, what could be a throwaway detail about, you know, he mentioned like a power supply for his equipment, and then flash forward to this sort of pop-off sound that goes off after Emma's father's speech. Could have been like a quick throwaway, they wouldn't have even had to add that detail, but you know, it followed there. And then obviously we had Misha, who worked with Charlie when they sort of had their little intimate moment briefly, but then she comes back into wedding day and it it's adding and kind of building on that tension and pressure. And then I we also get Rachel's cousin who shows up.

SPEAKER_00 20:34

See, all these minor characters were very impactful, if anything, because of the drama that was happening between Charlie and Emma, all these supporting characters that were just popping out of nowhere, providing comedic relief. It's just what we needed right at that moment to kind of like break the tension. And don't forget about the photographer, which was played by Zoe Winters. She provided the comic relief even at the wedding. Like when you see her like in the background, and when things were going off the rails, and you see her just her expression, having met her earlier in the movie.

SPEAKER_01 21:09

And you also see her camera flashing off when some of the pivotal moments towards the actual meltdown at their wedding day. So yeah, her character definitely is more present than you might initially think. And they even linger on even more minor characters, you know, Charlie sharing with Rachel and Mike, the uh best man and maid of honor, when they kind of reconvene, and you know, he's trying to rationalize and justify things to them and also to himself. And then there's this scene where they kind of go down onto the street level, and he it's more like his voiceover talking about how other people might have ideated around a similar violent episode that Emma had also concocted. When they're just showing like random people on the street, random extras, but the fact that they're even kind of lingering and spending time outside. Of that room and outside of those characters that we were introduced to, I thought was interesting. And then we had another interesting moment in the photography studio with I'm assuming an assistant. And there's just this brief moment where they kind of lock eyes, and that kind of gets Charlie out of the headspace and back into being in the moment and taking photos. So they definitely use the minor characters like really impressively.

SPEAKER_00 22:23

I know. Some critics keep bringing up the tone. A lot of them are saying that this movie doesn't totally know what it wants to be. Some moments feel like dark comedy, some feel like psychological drama, satire. And for some critics that mix didn't work, it just felt uneven for them. But honestly, I don't know if I fully agree with that criticism because I almost feel like the discomfort of the tone is kind of the point. You know, I just wanted to ask you guys like, did the tone shifts work for you? Or did it feel like the movie was struggling to find its identity?

SPEAKER_01 22:54

I don't think it would have worked if it didn't have tone shifts. I think if it was just one thing and treating it as a black and white wouldn't even live up to the name of the drama. It has to have all of it to have that punch. So I would disagree. I think it's gotta be funny in a dark way. And some of it wasn't even dark, some of it was just truly funny. I think it needed to have the emotional connection between the characters and sort of not just to build the tension, but also to make it believable that they actually care about each other and want to resolve anything.

SPEAKER_02 23:27

And I think as y'all went through all these additional characters, I was able to like remember them so clearly. Like each of each of these characters who they were in the movie. And so I think that's that's where I get to the point that this this movie's way more deeply human than trying to tackle certain like specific political issues or specific relationship issues. I, you know, that's what Christopher Borgley used as the reveal at the beginning, but then it kind of launches into, you know, it's used as a device, but it's it's a much broader, it's tackling a much broader thing, which is just really human connection. So that's why I I never found myself expecting more or even wanting more. I thought I was I was in it for the whole ride. I mean, that's why I'm curious. I've been almost commenting on some on some of these letterboxed reviews, asking them to explain more what what they mean. Because I am curious. A lot of people are hinting at it not going deep enough, and I'm wondering if it's that's specifically related to gun control or whatnot. I also think some people might might have weirdly wanted the wedding at the end to end more catastrophically, which I'm glad it didn't.

SPEAKER_00 24:34

I feel like what they're saying is that with this whole reveal, like thought it didn't go far enough with it. The setup is so wild and so uncomfortable, but some people felt the movie kind of pulls its punches when it comes to actually dealing with the fallout of what happens.

SPEAKER_01 24:49

But that's another thing that I just don't agree with. I I think that's like another connection to again what you find with the stories in the movie where they are trying to they're running wild with this worst thing that Emma has ever done, letting their minds run wild, and also again kind of digging it up and creating something new out of someone's experience that again seemingly has already been resolved or is now in the past. I think like the audience expecting more is building off of that tense moment again, drawing from a character's own past experience that is already settled and it's in the past. So I think for yeah, for the expectation that it would build up beyond what it did is almost the point.

SPEAKER_02 25:42

Yeah, it's one of those movies where you you see someone critiquing it, and you're like, this person might actually understand fully understand it, and just like like I love when someone is hating on something in a way that's like, no, I think you actually got the point, and it then it just comes down to personal opinion. But again, it's it's one of those movies where I left the theater and as I was leaving the parking garage, there were so many little pockets or like groups of people sticking around to talk about it. There were people like staying in their seats during the credits talking about it, and so it's like it's it's just one of those great movies where if if you love it or hate it, you were talking about what you watched afterwards, yeah, and you were you were discussing the topics regardless. And I think probably every episode will near the end start saying something like go to the theater, but and you know, this is a this is another example where it's just like seeing people talk about a movie after watching it is just it's like that's the beauty of the movies, and that's thinking what lives up to the name, the drama.

SPEAKER_00 26:44

If the if gossip were not talking about it afterwards, it wouldn't have lived up to the name, and he really gotta give both Indea and Rubber Pantson their props here. They played it really well. Like you were really inside Charlie's head, like all the things that he was feeling and thinking in his current psyche. You really felt all of it. It was Indea. Uh, she had like a tough part of being for us to believe that she could potentially be capable of doing that when she was younger, but at the same time, like be likable enough in the present time for us to forgive her, even though all the people around her are not forgiving her for it. And she balanced that very well.

SPEAKER_01 27:21

Yeah, it also allowed you to again empathize with both characters because you know, one scene that just jumps out is she had been making the smoothie, and so she comes upstairs with the kitchen knife, and he's scared and trying to play it off as you know, he's totally cool, and then she's like confronts him directly, like, Oh, you think I'm gonna come stab you? It's like you get both of their points of view. It's like, of course, she's not doing that. We saw what she was doing, and again, the whole time leading up to that, you can sense that she's pretty much you know, this like even kill, leveled up person, but then you also sense and can empathize with his anxiety over the the news she shared and how that kind of shifted his perspective of her. So the fact that you're able to kind of click with both points of view at once, it's really well written and really well directed, and very well acted.

SPEAKER_00 28:16

Because you really care about these two characters and if they end up together or not.

SPEAKER_01 28:21

I mean, that that when they get back together at the end was another moment where again the other theme of this is like new beginnings, and the very end of the movie mirrors the beginning when they first meet, yeah. Is like playing off of this reintroduction to each other, and that's kind of just the whole through line is they're being reintroduced to each other through the whole movie. Obviously, when they first meet, then they remeet again in the cafe, then they meet again after sharing the worst things they've ever done. They meet again after the wedding and all of the drama and events that transpired there. So it's just constantly resetting, you know, their sort of uh relationship with each other.

SPEAKER_00 29:00

And even for fans of people that don't like happy endings, not saying this was a happy ending, but it an optimistic rewarding it was an optimistic ending that I felt like the film earned.

SPEAKER_02 29:10

Yeah, I was saying cathartic is that was one of the words I felt like at the ending where it's like they it's still that night of when the incident happened, they haven't even changed out of their clothes. But yeah, since you you had been hoping they could stick together for the whole movie for them to reunite and kind of be able to laugh about it and be ready to work through it, I thought was really beautiful. And I I yeah, I think that's better than a violent ending because you know the the idea is being able to work through the issues and not just being like showcasing how bad it is. So it's it's nice to like it's almost taken care of. You're you're you're taken care of by the director where he's like, we just experience some pretty serious things. It it can be okay, but it just it requires people talking to each other and attempting to understand each other.

SPEAKER_00 29:57

It's also like us, the audience, and also these two characters realizing that like what everyone else thinks really doesn't matter is really between them two, and they got to a point where they're almost forgiving each other for like everything that's happened prior to that, and like let's just reset, but not in a toxic kind of way that like all right, let's just forget what happened, not addressing the situation.

SPEAKER_02 30:19

Okay, this is where I have to do my Christopher Borgli segment. I finish the movie and I I start my I start watching all the press tour stuff and I start like researching, I'm reading, reading up on director production things, see if there's any like fun facts. Christopher Borgli has a very short early life section on Wikipedia, and one of the things in it mentions an essay he wrote when he was 27 about sleeping with a 16-year-old. And so I I went and found it, it actually resurfaced about a week ago and was I checked the edit history, it was added to his Wikipedia a week ago, and I I went and found the essay where he explains why he thinks it was okay. It was written in 2012, but but as I kept learning more about Borgli, like his bio on his website is just the plot of Twin Peaks. He comes from the art world, and so I actually think his person as an online presence is deeply guarded to the point of performance art. Is that even real? I I'm starting to think that that story's not even real. But it was 14 years ago now.

SPEAKER_01 31:27

Sure.

SPEAKER_02 31:27

So it's like, was it was he thinking that far ahead, or do a lot of his do a lot of his movies talk about cancellation because of something he experienced? Yeah. Or is it just a big long performance art? I don't know. There's something interesting.

SPEAKER_01 31:41

I wanted to talk about one other thing. There were a few moments where you get the flashback to Emma as a child or in middle school or whatnot. And I I found it really impactful. Actually, the moment where she kind of has her breakthrough to not carry out this act. And I I mean, I mean, props to that actress that played younger Emma, because I think it really conveyed that gravity of the situation and just sort of the emotion and the arc that this character went through. You know, you even see that scene where she's standing in front of one of her other peers, one of their teachers, made them do this exercise, and then she begins crying. I mean, obviously, us as the audience knows she's not necessarily crying for this other student who was a victim of this other incident, but she's crying kind of as this all of these emotions and thoughts that she had built up kind of come unraveling. So we do get her like earlier on sort of acceptance. She's able to move through that desire of hers and essentially shift her comp her attitude and behavior away from wanting to carry out this horrific act. And then the other way that that character gets used is you see some moments where it's Charlie present-day roaming around the city with her, the child actress, and it's kind of positioning him, learning this about her, and you know, they're using that actress, but also for Emma's character specifically in an interesting way because you're seeing present-day Charlie kind of in his head thinking about that's who he's with, is the former version of her who would be inclined to carry out these horrific acts.

SPEAKER_02 33:22

Yeah, I mean that's why there's the concept of child self is so interesting.

SPEAKER_01 33:26

Another thing I'll say though, obviously, this year's off to a really strong start. We have some really solid movies already and uh up through April, and then obviously some upcoming additional feature films starring both Robert Pattinson and Zendea with the upcoming Dune part three, as well as Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey this summer. So obviously a big year for them, as well as you know, being part of these larger ensembles, but also more feature projects together.

SPEAKER_00 33:55

So those two, though, I mean, they've they're building quite a resume.

SPEAKER_01 34:00

I've been impressed with the caliber projects that they've both land on from like indie projects all the way to blockbuster films, yeah, movies like this that definitely are gonna have a lot of word of mouth and do really successfully just getting people talking and sort of the buzz around the film.

SPEAKER_00 34:16

But yeah, I rarely do I criticize other people for not liking a movie. Art is subjective, right? We all have different interpretations of each film, but those who don't like this movie, I they just didn't get it. I mean, like they didn't get the point.

SPEAKER_02 34:33

That's why we need to get to the point where people send us in, or I I still want to do I want to talk to these people. Like, I want some way of uh because it's like it's again, it's c it's conversations important here. And with something like this, I'm reading it. I'm like, man, I have so many questions for this person. Like, did like are they actually being serious or did they put that much thought into it? Are they just like jotting down so yeah, Miguel, if you found any like longer form critiques of it, I'd be interesting to read because so far the people who seem to not get it are just kind of leaving the theater and popping up the review, and maybe they just didn't like it. Yeah, which is I think is different from not getting it. I'm definitely gonna be yeah, paying attention paying attention as more people watch this since since I guess it is still the end of the first weekend.

SPEAKER_00 35:18

I was looking at the metacritic for the drama. There's some hundreds here. Boston Globe gave it a zero. Wow. Now I want to read that illegal. I know, I know. Now I want to read that review because I'm I'm mad.

SPEAKER_02 35:31

Because I mean it was filmed in Boston. I don't know if there was a portrayal of Boston that they didn't like.

SPEAKER_01 35:36

The headline or sub-headline reads Zindaya and Pattinson are trapped in this empty and tasteless provocation disguised as a marital dramedy. I think calling it empty is wildly off the mark, but it is a provocation for sure. I mean, that is the most provocative plot that I've seen in quite a while.

SPEAKER_02 35:57

Odie Henderson, if you're watching this, we would like to have a longer conversation.

SPEAKER_01 36:01

I think we should end this episode with sharing the worst thing each of us has ever done. Yeah, I was fine. When that came up in the movie, I was I I think probably most of the audience was like going through their mind like, oh, what's the worst thing I've done? But I couldn't land on like a thing.

SPEAKER_02 36:20

I uh I donated all my savings to the animal hospital. And yeah, I hate to I hate to admit it, but I think I've I've saved it.

SPEAKER_01 36:36

Because you wish you could have given more. When yeah, you're pure.

SPEAKER_02 36:42

Yeah, I did. So I only I only was able to save a few hundred animals, but yeah.

SPEAKER_00 36:52

Okay. Yeah. I I want to see this movie again. Because I I think I want to see this movie again, and just now that we know the the drama, I can just sit back and actually enjoy it for hilarious comedy that it is.

SPEAKER_01 37:08

I think this was supposed to be funny because everyone in my theater laughed, but it's such a little quick little moment, but it's like a brief little flashback, and it's Emma saying, Yeah, Amanda's first in her little flock, or whoever the name was, but it's like her saying who she was gonna go after first. Oh, yeah, and I don't know why it was just so unexpected, but everyone burst out laughing and we're like, oh my god, they really matters the crowd that you saw amazing. It does, it entirely matters, and I was in a packed, like it was full, there wasn't an empty seat. There's been lots of drama, and the drama continues, and it continues on thesinephilemind.com and on the Cinephile Mind's social media pages. So go check us out, watch our full review on YouTube, and like, comment, subscribe, share with your friends, and go call some drama at a wedding.