The Drama (2026)

The Drama is a difficult film as it explores some truly complex questions, tackles how far our limits on understanding the humanity of people who do horrible things can go, and does it all while maintaining a darkly comedic approach to story telling. For me it worked, while fascinating me with the maelstrom of conflicting emotions and challenging me to face some difficult dilemmas in a way that was satisfying. But be warned, the film gets in your face and if there are sensitivities to certain issues it could be emotionally a very wrecking film. Even without certain vulnerabilities, the film purposefully makes you uncomfortable with what you are experiencing so it can put you in a situation to wrestle with some truly difficult questions about life and love.

Writer/Director Borgli's last film, Dream Scenario, didn't work for me, but with The Drama I feel he found the right mix. Because I think what is truly interesting here is not the specifics of the worst thing Zendaya's character has ever done, although it is easy to get lost a bit in that. In reality it is more about us coming face to face with out fears about how do we truly know the people we love in our lives and what about them might make us stop loving them. The film is set up cleverly in a way to directly ask us this moral quandary, but it also tells an interesting story with compelling characters while it is doing that. 

So much of this relies on how well Zendaya and Pattinson realize their roles. Both are cast somewhat against type and both create complex and rich performances that make these characters stand out. They also manage the difficulty of the script's dark humour layered into the dark drama. 

For me the film's weaknesses are found around them. While Borgli's screenplay draws the two central characters so well, it is often at the expense of any supporting cast who feel very one-dimensional. That mixed with the fact I struggle to buy Haim in almost any role I've ever seen her in, took me out of the film. I find her performances consistently hammy and didn't think she was up for this. But Athie is a great actor who just isn't given enough to do. Outside of the leads, the film doesn't offer them much support. 

(there are some *spoilerish* references in the rest of this review so stop reading now if you are spoiler averse)

But that wasn't fatal for me with this film as it focuses so much on those two. The film is about their relationship, aping the style of a rom-com, but going to very dark places with it. Even from the film's start you are presented with something you know is going to be different. It starts with a "meet cute" (which is explicitly labelled in the film as such) which feels off and somewhat creepy. To the film's final reconnecting after the couple splits (you know how they come running back to confess their love, usually involving running through some crowd to catch the other before they board the plane or something?) which here is handled just so deftly and lovingly. 

On the one hand, The Drama appears to be a far more romantic film than one might expect. It is saying, at its heart, that love can conquer all. Or is it? Is the ending, which reinforces the film's repeated references to starting fresh, perhaps childishly ignoring what is wrong, a cynical condemnation of this cinematic romantic ideal? You see, this is what I mean by the being so satisfying for me. It doesn't hold-my-hand (pun intended) and tell me what to think. It instead challenges me to grapple with questions that there may not be answers for. Maybe it's asking you to decide what you think. 

The film is getting a lot of flack for its choice of what terrible past Zendaya's character has and I understand why this could be quite upsetting. The film's central question needs it to be something truly terrible but also something human. The film does some meta talking to its audience (a lot of that actually) but in clever and integrated ways. At one point it asks us to consider how many of the other other people walking around us have also done what she's done with effectively disturbing effect. It also references something that could very well be worse (how you scale these horrors, I just don't know) at one point to make a meta point about the fact they didn't make her past even more depraved. My point is that the specific plot details might be too difficult for some audiences, especially since the film is asking us to laugh through some of this (more on that later). I understand why that might disqualify the film for people who have been directly effected by it. For me I was able to get over my discomfort with the use of such a vile back story as I understood why The Drama needed it.

I also feel like Borgli manages the humour very well. This isn't the sort of humour that bristles me, the kind that is used as release valve to take us out of a difficult situation, to take us out of our discomfort, to dismiss the seriousness of the story (see Paul Thomas Anderson films). This is the sort that doubles down on the discomfort. It is often there to highlight just how absurd we are and how difficult life can be. Often I was uncomfortable with how the film was making me laugh, because of how we are socialized to deal with humour in difficult situations. But The Drama recognizes how human laughter is as a means of processing. The humour here felt organic to the story and often truly honest.

But again I don't think that's what the film is about. It is a rom-com in a true sense. It is a comedy (although some of the blackest I've seen in a long time) and it is asking us question about romance and how we experience it, what are its limits, and what morally does it ask us to do. And that is what I haven't been able to stop thinking about The Drama since I saw it. That's why it will continue to wrestle with what it is asking. And that is why I will likely want to return to it again and again. 

The Drama

Starring: Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Mamoudou Athie, Alana Haim 

Writer/Director: Kristoffer Borgli

The Housemaid (2025)

I will fully admit for the first half of The Housemaid I was thoroughly unimpressed. Two-dimensional and hackneyed, the film felt like a cartoony Single White Female rip off. Seyfried's character behaved very much in an unrealistic manner that took me out of the film. Sklenar's character didn't react in a way that felt honest. But The Housemaid is a good example of why I don't stop watching a film because I am not enjoying it from the start. 

It is hard not to talk about what makes The Housemaid work without spoiling it so stop reading here if you don't want the end spoiled. 

The film sells itself in the trailers as a war between two women and the first act leans in to that. I was responding emotionally to having to sit through another of those rather rote and, honestly misogynist, tales as old as time, and one that wasn't done in a convincing manner. The characters all felt over-simplified the the plot full of convenient coincidences. 

And then the film becomes what it actually trying to be and it makes more sense why Seyfried too this role, an actor whose choices as an actor up to this point wouldn't suggest she'd do a movie like this. The real villain here isn't Sweeney or Seyfried. It is the one we are conditioned to expect the least. It's Sklenar. 

Skelnar is an actor who has likability written all over him. He is handsome and sexy in a way that is generally non-threatening and approachable. He has played very likeable characters up to this point. Him playing an abusive character, one who no one recognizes due to his attractiveness, is brilliant casting and he pulls off the transition from the hunk the audience has been drooling over to a threatening villain quite realistically. The film plays its audience in the way real abusers play their audiences. It makes us complicit in its game to highlight the way this plays out in the real world. Now the reasons why Seyfried and Sklenar's characters acted the way they did in the beginning made sense. Now I was fully onboard. 

The film uses the tropes of the sexual thriller so the story does become more extreme than it needs to be. It starts to jump the shark by the end but its mind games are delicious enough for me to forgive some of that. So yeah the final resolution feels a bit over the top. The plays its audience again getting us to root for the violence that is coming. It's a smartly made film even if its ending goes in directions that I think undercut some of its power. But also makes for a cinematic, crowd pleasing ending. 

The Housemaid

Starring: Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried, Brandon Sklenar, Elizabeth Perkins, Michele Morrone, Indiana Elle

Director: Paul Fieg

Writer: Rebecca Sonnenshine

The Testament of Ann Lee (2025)

The Testament of Ann Lee is a number of things at once. It is in many ways a traditional historical drama methodically telling the story of Ann Lee, early spiritual leader of the Shakers. Very much a costume period piece which labours to walk through the historical beats to tell a story that many modern audiences would not be familiar with. However at the same time it attempts to upend typical prestige cinema through genre bending flourishes such as ecstatic musical numbers and and experimental film making techniques. Despite the latter it errs on the former side, ending up a fairly standard historical drama telling the rather unique story of a unique woman whose influence is still felt today despite many not knowing of her. 

Ann Lee was seen by believers to be the second coming of Christ. As a Shaker, she lead group through charismatic mob reactions that earned them the name. They promoted equality of the sexes, celibacy, puritanism, and pacifism. The film explores these complications and leans into Ann's visions and chanting. The film is narrated to fill in plot blank spots and sometimes to highlight what is going on. 

The musical conceit should work. It's integrated well into the story of a religious group who focus on ritual and chants. Sometimes it works better than other times. I appreciated how it created a sense of otherness to the cult as it is often juxtaposed to the reaction of others to their singing and dancing. But other times it felt anachronistic. So much of the music is repetitive, with minimal refrains returned to over and over. The effect is jarring and doesn't engender the scenes to the audience. I was often relieved when the music was done. 

Seyfried has been praised for the role. I believe she is a talented actor who is always strong in what she does. But I don't think I see this role as giving her the opportunity to do her best work. Her character is an attention seeker, often acting out, so her performance often feels over the top and not in a way that feels original or outstanding. 

And the film is on the long side. I was ready for it to be over long before it was. While I felt this is a story that is interesting for a number of reasons, the film doesn't necessarily hold your interest well. It is a film that doesn't quite succeed which is likely why it missed out on getting many of the accolades some thought it should receive.

The Testament of Ann Lee

Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Lewis Pullman, Christopher Abbott, Tim Blake Nelson

Director: Mona Fastvold

Writers: Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold

Dhurandhar (2025)

Dhurandhar brought me back to the 80s. It is a Sylvester Stallone style action thriller which is almost comic in its over-the-top style action, and from what I understand, right wing political leanings. This is the sort of action film where the hero throws a lighter to blow up a building and walks away in slow motion as it blows up behind him. At almost three and a half hours it is epic in its scope and brutal in its violence. It is spectacle for sure and gripping throughout even if its messaging is rather suspect. 

Singh plays a cliche of an action hero. Stoic and muscly with flowing locks that put Jason Momoa to shame. He is undercover, embedded into Pakistani gangs to undermine them for India. While the film claims to be a work of fiction, I understand it is not only based on real events, but uses footage of actual violence from the conflict between Pakistan and India as part of its story. That might be unsettling enough as this isn't a dramatization of history but also due to the film's strong anti-islamic sentiment. There is not analysis of the complexities of the conflicts. This is very much a one-sided story framed in action movie glory. Perhaps American Sniper might be one of the closest American analogues but that film even had more self-consciousness of what it was doing. Maybe Top Gun is a better comparison.  

But I have to hand it to the film makers, Dhurandhar is extremely entertaining and watchable. Visually incredible with violent set pieces that are incredibly gripping. For a film this long, it is never boring, keeping the action an gore moving along at a kinetic pace. There are wonderfully filmed car chases, gun fights, explosions, all the things audiences into hyper-masculine films want without much moral ambiguity to get in the way. As a film, you could tear it apart for its lack of subtlety or nuance but you can't fault it for lack of entertainment value.  

Still, it's a film with limited views on heroism, no female characters that are developed or there to do anything but advance the mens' arcs, and some homophobic references. It is supportive of the Modi regime in India with only the slightest of veiling of that support. Set before his time, it implies a government like his is what India needs. It takes a lot of overlooking of (if we're being generous) problematic elements to truly enjoy Dhurandhar. 

Dhurandhar

Starring: Ranveer Singh

Writer/Director: Aditya Dhar

Pretty Lethal (2026)

Ballet is a brutal art form that takes an incredible amount of strength and toughness. It is also seen as hyper-feminine which isn't alway  associated with those qualities. The great conceit of this film is drawing those two polarities together and dismantling the myth of their incompatibility. That aspect of the film is truly interesting. But beyond that the film doesn't do much that doesn't feel paint-by-numbers. That doesn't stop it from being a fun watch even if it is a bit on the forgettable side. 

Pretty Lethal is filmed like a John Wick movie, one that leans into the humour and absurdity more than the Ballerina spin off that shares a lot with this film.  Where that film went in a more serious direction, Pretty Lethal keeps things light and breezy. The characters are archetypes and their arcs are rather predictable and expected. Little is going to surprise you watching this film. Again that isn't lethal to the film's enjoyment. Sure it could have risen to something more but it chooses instead to be just what one would expect and to run with that. 

And with that it does what it is trying to do well. It is a showcase for centring women characters into the sort of narrative that we are used to seeing male characters in. It doesn't do any of it any less than the endless plethora of films like this that feature men. Perhaps in that it manages to exceed expectations. It ends up being entertaining and it still manages to make its point about just how tough a ballerina needs to be be. 

Pretty Lethal

Starring: Uma Thurman, Iris Apatow, Lana Condor, Millicent Simmonds, Avantika, Maddie Ziegler

Director: Vicky Jewson

Writer: Kate Freund

Holy Days (2026)

Sometimes a movie is just so darn delightful that you watch it with a smile across your face the whole time. Holy Days is one of those movies, the story of three elderly nuns trying to save themselves and their convent from being sold to a developer all while helping a young boy who has suffered a lot of loss, find his way. So yeah, a big smile with maybe a few moments of sweet tears as well. 

Director Boltt brings a truly lovely energy to her film. The style she uses to tell her story is one that is infused with joy and visual beauty. I found her manner of film making truly brought out the emotions of the story. She also manages to film comedy extremely well which isn't always something many directors are good at. Holy Days had me laughing throughout with its very naturalistic humour that never felt forced or faked. 

The real prize here is seeing Davis, Margolyse, and Weaver play off each other. Each is such a true delight and really makes the most of their characters and story. Young Tamati has incredible screen presence too and is a great foil to his legendary castmates. 

I couldn't recommend Holy Days more. It really is just a joy of a film. 

Holy Days

Starring: Judy Davis, Miriam Margolyes, Elijah Tamati, Jacki Weaver 

Writer/Director: Nat Boltt

Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice (2026)

This movie is a lot of fun. Does it feel like there were corner cut in the screenplay/production? Maybe a bit. There are a lot of really entertaining set pieces. Maybe not all the emotional payoff is earned by the end due to some assumed character development. But overall M&N&N&A is an entertaining film that is worth a watch. 

The film mixes the smart-ass crime genre popularized by Tarantino with time-travel comedy which seems to be becoming its own genre. No it doesn't reach the heights of a Kill Bill or an Everything Everywhere All at Once. It never quite gets enough of a chance to breathe to be either. But as a smaller, more intimate piece it works. Its B-movie leanings (including its budget casting choices) don't take away from the fact that as a story its solid and even ends on a promise of something perhaps even better. For me it was solid enough and showed promise of something greater. 

I'm a big believer in cinemas but also that not every movie is destined for the big screen. I think this is a great example of how a film can work for streaming in a way that it may not have in a movie theatre. The script is smart enough to be satisfying, the cast talented enough to put on a good show, and the story is a strong one, so the whole thing is a really good time. 

Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice

Starring: Vince Vaughn, James Marsden, Eiza González, Keith David, Emily Hampshire, Auturo Castro, Jimmy Tatro, Ben Schwartz, Stephen Root, Dolf Lundgren

Writer/Director: BenDavid Grabinski