What True Events Is Zendaya-Robert Pattinson's The Drama About? Movie Courts Controversy Ahead Of Release

Zendaya and Robert Pattinson are all geared up for the release of their romantic drama, The Drama. Directed by Kristoffer Borgli, the movie is set to debut in theatres worldwide on April 3. The trailer had sparked some viral theories about "the big twist" in The Drama. These rumours about the plot of the film gained legitimacy as it is now being criticised for touching upon the subject of violence in the context of a romantic comedy.  

What is the controversy surrounding The Drama?

The father of a child killed in the Columbine High School massacre in Colorado in 1999 has criticised the filmmakers behind the forthcoming movie The Drama. Speaking to TMZ, Tom Mauser, whose son Daniel was among the 13 people murdered in the attack, said he finds the use of such subject matter within a romantic comedy context “awful”. Mauser also raised concerns about Zendaya’s response to more serious questions about the film’s twist during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

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“What’s difficult about even talking about the movie,” Zendaya explained, “is that there are so many different genres. It is a romantic comedy in many ways but it’s also a drama. Everybody has their own kind of feelings leaving the theatre, especially with the big twist. There’s so many conversations that are had after you watch it.”

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To cast a star as beloved as Zendaya, Mauser argued, “humanises” the perpetrators of such violence and “normalises” school shootings. So far, closed screenings of the film have been held and there is no possibility of knowing how the "twist" is handled in the movie.

Is Columbine High School massacre recreated in The Drama?

As per The Guardian, Robert Pattinson and Zendaya star as a couple whose upcoming wedding is cast in doubt after she reveals that she once planned a school shooting, but backed out at the last moment. Her character discloses the information while playing a parlour game with Pattinson and their two friends, in which they are encouraged to say “the worst thing you’ve ever done”.

It appears as if Zendaya's character does hint at her twisted desire about a school shooting but does not ahead with it. It remains to be seen if the actual Columbine High School massacre is recreated or referenced to in The Drama in any manner.

What happened in the Columbine High School massacre?

On April 20, 1999, twelfth-grade students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold murdered 13 students and one teacher in a school shooting. They also attempted bombing at Columbine High School. Their gunshots injured 20 more people; three others were injured while trying to escape. The attack ended when Harris and Klebold died by suicide. The Columbine massacre is among the deadliest mass shootings at a K–12 school in US history. Gun laws in the US have been criticised in this regard. It is even claimed that the Columbine High School massacre had inspired more than 70 copycat attacks, a phenomenon dubbed the Columbine effect.