'The Drama' courts controversy over major plot twist

Culture & Trends'The Drama' courts controversy over major plot twistThe A24 film, which stars Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, centers around a character’s dark confession.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Robert Pattinson and Zendaya in "The Drama."A24ShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 3, 2026, 1:36 PM EDTBy Saba HamedyWarning: This article contains spoilers.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.A24’s new movie, “The Drama,” is being criticized by some gun safety advocates who say the studio should have done more to warn audiences about the dark plot at the center of the film. The movie, which is being released in North American theaters on Friday, follows soon-to-be newlyweds Emma (Zendaya) and Charlie (Robert Pattinson), who grapple with how to proceed with their upcoming nuptials after the bride-to-be confesses the “worst thing” she’s ever done: plan a school shooting as a teen. While she didn’t go through with it — and the film does not show any actual gun violence — some scenes feature flashbacks of a younger Emma who appears fascinated with her father’s rifle and is seen filming a shooter’s confessional video while planning the massacre.“With a subject this serious, especially in the U.S., that conversation cannot begin and end on screen,” March for Our Lives, a youth-driven organization first created by students who survived the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, wrote in an Instagram post on Thursday. “It has to carry through in how the film is presented.”A24 did not respond to NBC News’ requests for comment.Many moviegoers have yet to see “The Drama,” but people began weighing in online after the plot was revealed in a March TMZ article. The publication spoke with Tom Mauser, whose son Daniel was killed during the 1999 Columbine High School shooting. Mauser, who hadn’t seen the movie at the time of the interview, said...