The Drama: sex, secrets and that gobsmacking twist – discuss with spoilers

Zendaya and Robert Pattinson’s dark dramedy is a stylish acting showcase, but does it do justice to its weighty themes? Ever since its first trailer dropped – and, on certain corners of Reddit, even before that – the internet has been abuzz with speculation over just what goes down in The Drama . The auteur production powerhouse A24 somewhat ingeniously pitched writer-director Kristoffer Borgli’s pitch-black film as a tart romantic comedy, with Zendaya and Robert Pattinson as a seemingly happy couple derailed by a disturbing revelation a week before their wedding. The actors, among a cohort of vanishingly few young movie stars, appeared as their characters in a fake wedding announcement in the Boston Globe; Zendaya’s rumored marriage to actor Tom Holland became a meta discussion point on a press tour that saw her method dressing in “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue”, her wardrobe slowly darkening in a nod to something gone horribly awry. The Norwegi...

Black Cab review – Nick Frost on outstanding form in creepy taxi-driving Brit horror

Though the narrative goes the long way round, there are plenty of strong performances and good ideas to keep this journey interesting

Although this British horror flick gets a little muddy in strictly narrative terms with its tricky shifts in viewpoint, it’s rich enough in ideas and strong performances as well as running a blessedly crisp 88 minutes, that any flaws are easily forgiven. The story starts with Anne (Synnove Karlsen, outstanding in a demanding yet slightly underwritten role) waking from a frightening dream and going to join her boyfriend Patrick (Luke Norris) for dinner with another couple, Ryan (George Bukhari) and Jessica (Tessa Parr). The snappy banter between the foursome, which instantly and economically establishes that Patrick is an outright asshole who doesn’t deserve quiet, circumspect Anne, suddenly chills when it’s revealed the two are engaged. Jessica, for one, doesn’t approve, for reasons only revealed later.

Nevertheless, Anne and Patrick depart in the titular vehicle, driven by excessively chatty Ian (Nick Frost, also on exceptional form, and credited with contributing additional material to the script). En route, even more awkward revelations tumble out. From here on in, the film is essentially a two-and-a-half-hander, the story carried by Anne and Ian’s conversation, mostly conducted amid glances in the rear-view mirror as Ian drives, especially after Patrick loses consciousness.

Black Cab is on digital platforms from 7 April.

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