The Drama

Story: Emma (Zendaya) reveals a dark secret about her past during a drinking game preceding her marriage to Charlie (Robert Pattinson). As this shifts the groom-to-be’s perception of her, the days leading up to the wedding spiral into a chain of comically dark events.

Review: Misunderstanding or jitters leading to a wedding being called off is one thing, but saying “I don’t” based on something your fiancée did as a teenager is another. This is what happens to the otherwise perfect couple, Emma and Charlie, when they play a game in which each reveals the worst thing they have ever done. Bridesmaid Rachel (Alana Haim) admits to locking a mentally disabled kid in a closet in the woods overnight and not coming forward even when a search party is sent out. Charlie’s worst act is bullying someone so much that the family had to move, though that may have just been a coincidence, which hardly counts.

Then comes Emma’s turn. When she confesses to coming very close to committing a violent act, everyone is shocked, especially Rachel, whose cousin was the victim of a similar crime. The confession changes the dynamic of the relationship. Worse still, Charlie begins to doubt whether he wants to go ahead with the wedding.

Writer-director Kristoffer Borgli’s dark comedy borders on absurdism in both its narrative and treatment. Imagined scenarios and reality intertwine, and the viewer often cannot keep track, especially in the final act, when the wedding takes place. Charlie’s reaction to discovering that the woman he thought was empathetic and kind-hearted may not be so, and how his demeanor changes, is funny in a very dark way. The way he tries to rationalise Emma’s behaviour is, by turns, sweet, hilarious, and bizarre. One of the most intriguing parts is each character’s reaction to the same situation — Emma wants everyone to just forget about it, Rachel is disgusted, her husband Mike (Mamoudou Athie) is reasonable, and Charlie cannot fully process it, so he looks for outside opinion to find an answer. The narrative also leaves room for interpretation. Rachel’s act is quite appalling, but she reasons it was an impulse, whereas Emma planned hers and would have gone ahead with it had a similar incident not thrown her plans off.

Robert Pattinson and Zendaya shine in their roles. Pattinson beautifully captures Charlie’s confusion and his attempts to convince not only himself but also others that Emma is, in fact, kind and empathetic. Zendaya’s turmoil is more internal. She barely gets the opportunity to express how all this makes her feel. Alana Haim is brilliant in her brief role as the hard-nosed bridesmaid, and Mamoudou Athie delivers a strong performance too.

The film’s dark comedy lands, but its absurdism may not appeal to everyone. Still, it makes for a decent one-time watch.