Backlash Mounts Over School Shooting Twist in Pattinson and Zendaya's Rom-Com
Disquiet is growing over the controversial subject matter of the upcoming film The Drama, a dark romantic comedy starring Robert Pattinson and Zendaya. The movie, written and directed by Norwegian filmmaker Kristoffer Borgli, features a plot where Zendaya's character reveals she once planned a school shooting but backed out, a twist that has sparked significant backlash from victims' families.
Columbine Victim's Father Voices Outrage
Tom Mauser, whose son Daniel was among the 13 students killed in the 1999 Columbine High School shooting in Colorado, has publicly expressed his unhappiness with the film-makers. In an interview with TMZ, Mauser, who became a gun reform advocate after the tragedy, labelled the leveraging of such subject matter for a romantic comedy as 'awful'. He argued that casting a beloved star like Zendaya 'humanises' perpetrators and 'normalises' school shootings, even though her character does not carry out the attack and no violence is depicted.
Zendaya's Response and Film Details
Zendaya addressed the twist during an appearance on the Jimmy Kimmel show last week, stating, 'What's difficult about even talking about the movie is there is so many different genres in it. 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.' The film centres on a couple whose engagement is jeopardised when they play a parlour game requiring them to disclose 'the worst thing you've ever done', leading to Zendaya's shocking revelation.
Industry Context and Critical Reception
A24, the studio behind The Drama, has limited screenings to avoid spoilers, with early reactions from selected US critics being broadly positive. Reviews are embargoed until 31 March, and The Guardian has reached out to the film's UK distributors for comment. This controversy echoes past works like Gus Van Sant's Elephant, which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 2003 for its inspiration from Columbine, and Michael Moore's Oscar-winning documentary on the massacre. Recently, All the Empty Rooms, a documentary short about children killed in US school shootings, won an Academy Award earlier this month.
The debate highlights ongoing sensitivities around portraying school shootings in entertainment, with critics arguing it trivialises real-life trauma while supporters see it as a catalyst for important conversations.
