'THE DRAMA' that we just can't handle

To Have and to Hold.

105 Mins. Starring: Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Mamoudou Athie & Alana Haim. Screenplay: Kristoffer Borgli. Director: Kristoffer Borgli. In: Theatres.

By TIM DAVID HARVEY

Imagine it's just gone Monday morning and you're about to watch one of the biggest movies of the year, not to mention, the second highest-grossing horror ever, 'Obsession'. In the middle of the day. On your day off. How heavy would you feel afterwards following its necessary viewing and message of consent? Oh, and did I forget to mention, you just watched A24's 'The Drama', that's just come out in Japan after an April American roadshow release, right before? The only thing more brutal than this 'Drama' and 'Obsession' double-feature, back-to-back, bordering on insanity, is making it a big-three. Trying to get some blockbuster, dinosaur eating escapism at 'The End Of Oak Street'. Hey, I'm a film fanatic who writes about movies, who was way behind schedule last week. What do you expect?

Well, I wasn't expecting this and the polarizing plot twist that we simply can't spoil, but you should maybe look up if you're now approaching 'The Drama' with some trepidation. It does feel a little forced and unfair that there is no knowledge of this prior to going in, reviewers instructed not to reveal. As deeply unnerving and unsettling as 'Obsession', this is not for the faint of heart, or those who find these themes triggering. And we're not trying to poorly play on words with a pun here. But maybe you're starting to get it. Kristoffer Borgli ('Sick Of Myself', 'Dream Scenario') gives us one of the most darkest and dangerous dramas of the decade, let alone this compelling calendar. Even if you hate it, you can't help but keep watching...even if this was on Netflix, where you can choose to continue doing so, or not, and not stuck inside a theatre. Isn't this what moviemaking on the brink of actual artwork is supposed to do? Unseat us. Make us think and maybe even act differently. Cinema is supposed to challenge and you know Zendaya is a challenger.

Now she adds another broad brush to her career stroke, with a singular name arguably as famous now, as Beyoncé. For every 'Dune' franchise and 'The Odyssey' is a 'Euphoria' or 'Malcolm & Marie'. Yet she hasn't done anything quite like this...until now. The 'Spider-Man' redefining M.J. knows how to flip between pop and rock, like Jackson and Jordan, and this bold choice with 'The Batman' Robert Pattinson (also in 'Dune' and 'The Odyssey', but so much more in things like 'The Lighthouse' and 'Good Time') is a brilliant, resolute one for the absolute movie megastars. It can't always be the beautiful, but brave, kindness and humility of a Holland Hollywood, no matter how much we love that guy. And he took a darker turn, with Pattinson, too, for Netflix's 'The Devil All The Time', back in 2020.

Before they take the whole nine yards, down the aisle of this dark romantic comedy, Pattinson and Zendaya have entitled wine and dining with two of their best friends. Played perfectly by scene-stealer and Paul Thomas Anderson muse, Alana Haim ('Licorice Pizza', 'One Battle After Another', and so many classic PTA music videos with her sisterhood of 'Women In Music', Haim) and the gentle grace of Mamoudou Athie ('Kinds Of Kindness', 'The Burial', 'Jurassic World: Dominion'). Here, the four, not looking so fantastic, get into a dangerous game of "what's the worst thing you've ever done" (I'm out!). You think you've heard it all and the crux catalyst of this movie and then it gets worse and worse. And I'm sorry, we just can't bring ourselves to say it. But what results, in quite possibly the worst thing you could imagine, especially for a mainstream movie, is a lot of conflicted empathy and an absolute conviction of the fact that real dramas are supposed to bring exactly that to our breaking points.

You can't condone what goes on here. The motives, or the actions after. But in a hurt world looking to heal, this movie tries to find some understanding in the root cause. Because if we don't identify the problem, then we can never solve the issue that is like an epidemic in America (I think you really know what we're getting at now), like depression and suicide in South Korea, and all other wars that are being fought across a world in arms that need to reach out to each other instead. We can barely say any more than what 'The Drama' is trying to tell you, no matter the critical and commercial fallout. That was always the risk. But it actually paid off, in tune to $132.4 million worldwide (off a budget of 28 mill), and sung praises from critics alike. But will this Hollywood couple holding all the throbbing hearts actually make it to the altar, hand-in-hand? Especially with passive-aggression and hypocrisy at the table as invited guests? Well...you'll have to save the date, but also the timely message of something that means more than in sickness and in health. This is no amateur dramatics. It's real-life. Something we should face and consider now, just like those rightfully opposed to this movie. Because if we want to stop the drama, shouldn't we have resolve and peace made between both sides?

Further Filming: 'Die My Love', 'Obsession', 'Malcolm & Marie'.