The Drama (2026): When Emotions Become The Plot

 (impawards.com)

The Drama unfolds like a wound that refuses to close. Beneath the central conflict, the film is ultimately about feelings–how it accumulates, how it fractures relationships, and how forgiveness, when it appears, is never simple, clean, or complete.

Starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson as the lead couple, you would almost certainly believe it was just a romantic comedy. Instead, director Kristoffer Borgli takes viewers on a wild emotional rollercoaster, and the A24 production quality gives it a campy vibe. I will not lie, you will either love the artistry of the movie or feel so uncomfortable you will want to walk out of the theater–I felt both.

It begins as a meet-cute between Charlie (Pattinson) and Emma (Zendaya); he approaches her in a coffee shop, and pretends to have read the book she is reading. She doesn’t hear him, because she has an Airpod in her left ear and, as she shares later in the film, is deaf in the right ear. 

Charlie's awkwardness persists, leading to a reset, as Emma asks “Should we start over?” 

It’s a charming moment, but it holds deeper value. The idea of starting over becomes a recurring motif, evolving from flirtation into something far more unsettling as the narrative progresses.

The drama begins at a rehearsal dinner, with Mike (Mamoudou Athie, a coward if you ask me) and Rachel (Alana Haim, playing a character that I interpreted as a strawberry stain on a white t-shirt). The two are also married, and good friends with Charlie and Emm. They also serve as the best man and maid of honor, despite them both being Charlie’s friends first. 

The four drunkenly play a “What’s the Worst Thing You’ve Ever Done?” game, with the revelation designed to destroy the facade of a “perfect relationship.” The game begins to make the audience question the morals of our once-beloved characters, Charlie, Mike and Rachel. 

But as Emma shares her secret, it’s like a scratch in the metaphorical record. The scene plays out in an outrage, Rachel yelling, Mike trying to calm her down, Charlie backing away from the table, and Emma so sick she pukes. The immediate cut to an awkward aftermath leaves the audience in an uncomfortable skin. 

Yet, you must not forget that Charlie and Emma’s wedding is just days away. As the film persists we see how their relationship strains and from then on the story follows Charlie, and how he explores this new information about Emma’s past. Through insecurity and (words for when you use comedy as a coping/defense mechanism), Charlie and Emma’s paranoia against one another spiral out of control. This story unfolds in such an awkward and raw manner that the audience grasps at the heartfelt, romantic moments.

Alas, not everything is resolved within the 1 hour, 46 minute duration. Leaving me in my seat frustrated, confused, and ultimately empathetic. Unfortunately there isn't much left to say without spoiling the movie, but I hope viewers sit with the same inquiry I had; If you truly love someone, can you forgive their past actions, whether they acted on it or not?

At a Glance: The Drama Starring: Zendaya, Robert Pattinson Summary: A happily engaged couple endure a turn of events that send them both into a spiral the week of their wedding. Rated: R for sexual content, bloody imagery, and frequent profanity Release date: April 3, 2026 Showing at: AMC CLASSIC in Corvallis, and Regal Santiam in Salem Distributor: A24 Rating: 7.5-8/10 on IMDB

I Don't Like Growing Up

I am running out of time. 

I remember sitting at the dinner table, laptop open, scrolling through majors as if I could recognize one as my own. With each scroll my chest felt tighter. Nothing seemed like a right fit, like a pair of pants that you can only stand in. 

Did I want to write for the rest of my life? Dance? Create? Produce? Did I want to learn a trade? 

The acceptance letters began to pile up on the side of my desk, bright envelopes with stickers and a brochure. It was supposed to feel exciting, freeing, maybe a little nerve wracking in a good way … But it didn’t, it felt like pressure, maybe like I was growing up too fast. 

I am running out of time. 

Looking around at my classmates, they all seemed to have everything figured out – declared majors, career paths, plans to move away. I didn’t. 

My mom says I should be in health, become a doctor, a physician … I can barely take care of myself. How could I dedicate my life to taking care of others? My dad tells me to find something stable, something I wouldn’t regret. 

“Once you’re out of college, you’ll want to find a position that will help pay off all the debt,” he said. 

Right … because writers, dancers, artists and all those creative positions make tons of money when they are fresh out of school. Maybe I should find a career that will make me tons of money. I still want to strive for happiness though. 

My chest feels tight again, my shoulders meet my ears, I close my eyes hard so no one will see my frustration.

But I knew what I didn’t want. I didn’t want hospitals. I didn’t want to feel trapped in something that left no room for creativity.

And still, I felt guilty – like not having a plan meant I was already falling behind. I’m so young, yet it feels like I’m running out of time.

When I realized I couldn’t afford to go away to most of the schools I got into, it felt like everything collapsed at once. All those options, all those expectations … gone. I remember standing in the kitchen, staring at the numbers, feeling like I had somehow failed before I had even started.

At the time, going to community college felt like settling. Like I had taken a wrong turn while everyone else kept moving forward. It wasn’t my first choice, and it still doesn’t feel like the right fit for me. But it makes everyone else happy. 

“That’s such a smart choice.” 

“Congratulations.”

“So proud of you.” 

I guess I should be grateful. 

I am grateful. 

But somewhere in that disappointment, something shifted.

Slow down. Just slow down.

 

They called my name, I walked the stage, received my diploma. I should be really happy. I think I was in the moment. 

“Oh yeah, I just graduated high school, haha!” We screamed to the lyrics of “Spin” by Mac Miller. But it still felt like in that moment something wasn’t right, even stepping out of the field in my gown, that tight chest feeling, eyes watered – and not just because of my allergies – everything was going too fast. 

Slow down. Just slow down, I tell myself. But it’s so hard. It’s hard to sit down and think about my future. A future that I have no control over. At least it seems that I don’t.  

For the first time in months, I wasn’t rushing toward a decision I didn’t understand. I didn’t have to pretend I had everything figured out. I could take classes, explore, change my mind, without the weight of a massive cost or a permanent label. 

Now, I’m in school and figuring things out class by class. I work weekends, balancing shifts with assignments and deadlines, and I dance as much as I can in whatever space is left in between. Sometimes it’s in the studio, sometimes it’s in my dusty garage. My parents are proud of where I am now, they don’t have to hold my hand, but they gently guide me with a hand on my back in the right direction. 

It still feels like a lot. Some days, I still feel behind. 

But other days, I notice the small things – the independence, the space to grow, the freedom to figure things out at my own pace.

And I realized something I couldn’t see before: I was never running out of time.

I was just trying to live on someone else’s timeline.

Now, I’m learning to build my own.

It’s slower. It’s uncertain. But it’s mine.

And for the first time, that feels like enough.

A photo from my first day of work

Keeping Up With Kenny-A Reintroduction for Feature Writing

Welcome back!

My name is Kendra, and I’m currently in my third term of my first year here at LBCC. I’m studying Journalism and Mass Communications—something that continues to feel like the right path for me. 

My last blog post was a Q&A with Monarch Bookstore, a local Lebanon business, and since then, not a lot has dramatically changed—but in a way, everything has. Life has just gotten busier. I’ve been working a lot more as a host and recently got promoted to server. I’ve also been spending more time dancing and training, which has been a big focus for me outside of school.

Academically, I’m still pursuing journalism, and I’m now in Feature Writing. I chose this class because I wanted to continue writing for The Commuter and push myself to grow in different styles of writing. I’ve had a couple of my pieces published there, which has been really exciting. That said, most of my writing lately has been assignment-based, and I haven’t had as much time to just sit down and creatively write or free write like I used to.

This term, I’m really looking forward to improving my pacing as a writer—learning how to write more efficiently without losing quality—and continuing to strengthen my interviewing skills. I want to become more confident in conversations and better at pulling meaningful stories out of the people I talk to.

My goals this term: 

1. Write more consistently outside of assignments, even if it’s just short free writes or ideas, so I don’t lose that creative side of my voice.

2. Continue contributing to The Commuter by pitching and publishing at least one or two more pieces this term.

3. Improve my writing speed and confidence, especially when working on deadlines and interviews.

I’m excited to keep growing this term and see how much stronger my writing becomes by the end of it.