A24 has dropped the teaser for Kristoffer Borgli’s The Drama. It follows the characteristic Borgli manner, where it starts off looking very calm and very friendly, but it eventually gently rattles your secure foundations.
The footage contains almost nothing, which is the idea.
What The Drama does portray is the awkward tension that verges on the radioactive, the wedding week spiraling into psychologically fraught territory, and the awareness that this is not, or at the very least appears not to be, a typical love narrative.
However, if you have already seen the spoilers online, you already know that there is a twist. But if not, you get to experience the fear of that moment exactly the way it’s been Borgli-approved.
Zendaya and Robert Pattinson star in a wedding that seems like a trap.
According to the official synopsis, Zendaya and Robert Pattinson portray a “happily engaged couple” whose “wedding week is put to the test when an unexpected turn sends everything off the rails.”
It all sounds very romantic and doable. It certainly does not sound like a Kristoffer Borgli film.
Borgli, who brought Cannes hit Sick of Myself and unsettling Dream Scenario to the screen, is not the guy for cute miscommunications. For Borgli, social awkwardness is horror. He observes human behavior through a microscope until it cries out.
“Unexpected turn,” when said by the A24, should also be considered a warning.
The Teaser Dialogue Is Polite, Smiling, and Unhinged
The teaser takes place during the pre-wedding photo, perhaps for the video. The environment is clean. The ambience is friendly. People are encouraging each other to relax.
That’s when the problems happen.
Charlie (Pattinson) and Emma (Zendaya) are asked what they love about each other.
Initially, it is sweet.
“He’s beautiful. Funny. This is very serious. And she has the best laugh.”
Zendaya responds warmly.
“He’s caring, understanding, and open-minded.”
The facilitator wishes for smiles. Natural smiles. Normal smiles. The smiles that come when everything is okay.
Next, without warning:
“What the f*** was that?”
No build-up. No reason. Only emotional shock.
“Just some drama,” the person says, which could very well be the creepiest line of the entire teaser.
This instant is like the trap door opening beneath the concept of marriage.
This is Borgli territory. Expect provocation, not comfort.
Kristoffer Borgli doesn’t make films that readily reveal themselves. His narratives always take the form of social rituals, fame, love, and weddings, but they creepily transform into something very awkward.
For a director who excels at revealing the cruel underside of contemporary intimacy, a wedding week is the ultimate pressure cooker. Ceremonies are about performing. Feelings are observed. People smile out of fear. Cameras are always observing.
For Borgli, that’s not romance. That’s horror with better lighting.
Who’s The Supporting Cast?
The supporting cast includes Alana Haim, Mamoudou Athie, and Hailey Benton Gates.
This cast suggests that “everyone knows something you don’t,” which lends a measure of unease. Borgli understands the use of ensemble tension, the slightest movement, the judgment concealed in the compliment, and how one line can blow up a room.
Release Date and Final Warning
The Drama will open on April 3, 2026.
Speculation, theory, spoilers, and the debate about what the film actually is: a love story, a psychological thriller, or simply an expensive group therapy session that went nuclear, will abound.
But one thing is clear about this teaser: This is not a wedding film about happily ever after. It’s about what happens right before everything breaks, smiling naturally. Say something nice. And don’t ask what that was.
