Why The Drama is a Study of Morality

🗓️ April 9, 2026

✍🏾 Gabby Ervin

On Friday April 3rd, 2026 Zendaya and Robert Pattinson’s new film, The Drama, hit theaters. When promoting the film, not much was given away as to what the plot was. The only hints given were, a couple is set to get married in a week and at one of their final menu tastings, two of their friends pose the question, “What is the worst thing you’ve ever done?” Zendaya and Pattinson’s characters, Emma and Charlie, both share their secrets. While Charlie's is overlooked, Emma's confession leads to a debate of whether or not Emma can be forgiven for what she did. So, as an avid fan of both, and thoroughly intrigued by the premise, I sat in the middle of the theater, chewing on a large popcorn while sipping an ICEE, on Saturday the 4th and watched the film. 

The question I took away from the film? Is intent without action worse than action without intent?

*SPOILERS BELOW*

Intent Without Action?

During the menu tasting scene it is revealed that Emma planned a school shooting when she was fifteen years old. While she did not go through with it, she had a detailed plan, access to a gun, made videos for the police to use as evidence after the shooting and went so far as to bring the gun to school. As school shootings are very personal to Americans, this revelation was met with controversy. Emma’s friend, Rachel, was appalled by her confession and immediately starts raising her voice in astonishment. Rachel’s husband, Mike, tries to de-escalate the situation but is visibly shaken by the announcement. Charlie is shocked but does not reveal much about how he truly feels until later in the film. 

Now, what Emma did is shocking and had she gone through with it, catastrophic, however, she shows genuine remorse and understanding of how horrific this plan was. She even struggles to tell the secret and then throws up immediately after sharing. As the film goes on the audience learns more about her experiences with bullying and isolation that were the catalyst for this plan. Furthermore, you learn that after not going through with it, she becomes an advocate against gun violence, demonstrating acknowledgment of wrong doing and an effort to be better. 

So, Emma is a woman who, at one point in time, fully intended to carry out a heinous act but chaged her mind. This begs the question, is intent without action a worse offense?

Action Without Intent?

While Emma’s secret is treated the worst out of the secrets revealed, the other secrets are not harmless either. Mike admits to hiding behind his ex-girlfriend as a dog attacked them; Charlie admits to cyberbullying a kid so badly the child and his family moved states; and Rachel admits to locking a child she refers to as “slow” in a closet in an abandoned house and leaving him there without saying anything to anyone. A missing person’s report was made to find the child and the next day a search party found him. Furthermore, later in the movie Charlie ends up kissing his co-worker on an impulse but immediately regrets it.

All three of these characters committed these acts on impulse and never received any consequences for their actions. This begs the question, is action without intent a worse offense?

You Decide. 

So, is it worse to intend to do something without ever committing the act or is it worse to commit an act on impulse without ever intending to do it before? The Drama causes audiences to sit with a side or morality that exists in the grey area of life. The film shows you all the sides of what Emma did, forces audiences to ponder if you can forgive someone for the worst thing they did, if the worst thing they did never actually happened? 

So, get your tickets, enjoy the film and join the conversation on whether or not intent without action is worse than action without intent.