The new A24 movie The Drama hit theaters on April 3, 2026. The film brings together Robert Pattinson and Zendaya in a dark comedy about a couple whose wedding plans fall apart after a shocking secret comes out.
Director Kristoffer Borgli, who made Dream Scenario with Nicolas Cage, shot the movie mostly in and around Boston, Massachusetts. The city’s old buildings and walkable neighborhoods gave the film a look that fit Borgli’s European style of filmmaking.
The Main Filming Locations Across Massachusetts
The production team spent a lot of time researching how the main couple would live in Boston. They looked at where the characters would shop, eat dinner, get coffee, and go on dates.
Tatte Bakery and Cafe near Copley Square appears in the film as the coffee shop where Charlie first sees Emma reading a book. The movie review from Boston.com confirms this scene takes place at the Back Bay location of Tatte.
Eastern Standard restaurant was used for the couple’s first date scene. In the movie, Charlie gets caught in a lie about not reading a book, and Emma tells him to start over.
Downtown Boston filming took place around High Street, Federal Street, and Franklin Street. In fall 2024, people in the city saw production happening all over, and some got to see Zendaya and Pattinson filming outside.
Andy’s Diner in Cambridge is another key location. The production designer Zosia Mackenzie visited the diner and knew right away it was perfect for the film. She said it looked like it had been kept in a time capsule from the 1950s and 1960s, with brick walls, swivel barstools, and vinyl seating booths.
The Art Museum and Wedding Venue
The Addison Gallery of American Art in Andover, Massachusetts stands in for the fictional Cambridge Art Museum. In the movie, Pattinson’s character Charlie Thompson works as the director of this museum.
The gallery sits on the campus of Phillips Academy and holds over 22,000 works of American art, including pieces by Jackson Pollock, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Edward Hopper.
The Mansion on Turner Hill in Ipswich was used for all the wedding scenes. This 300-acre estate has an Elizabethan-style mansion built in 1903. It is a known luxury events location in Massachusetts with well-preserved interiors and scenic grounds. The mansion is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been used in other big productions like Shutter Island.
New Orleans and International Locations
The production also spent about three million dollars filming in New Orleans, Louisiana. The scenes shot there are believed to cover Emma’s earlier life before she moved to Boston. The visual tone of these scenes looks noticeably different from the cooler look of the New England material.
Locations in New Orleans that appear include St. Louis Cathedral, The French Quarter, Tulane University, The Crescent City Connection, and Hancock Whitney Center.
Outside the United States, the film was also shot in London, England. The exact London locations have not been officially confirmed.
Reports also mention filming in Singapore, Tokyo, and Paris to add more visual interest to the film.
Character Details Revealed by the Filming Locations
The movie’s fictional engagement announcement in the Boston Globe gave fans more details about the characters. Zendaya plays Emma Harwood, a bookstore worker from Louisiana with a Boston University English degree. Robert Pattinson plays Charlie Thompson, a British museum director who runs the Cambridge Art Museum.
The supporting cast includes Mamoudou Athie, Alana Haim, Hailey Gates, and Zoë Winters from Succession, who plays a wedding photographer.
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What to Know Before Watching
The Drama is a dark comedy that asks couples to share the worst things they have ever done. The movie review from Boston.com describes it as a film made to provoke and unnerve audiences with its boldness. The secret Emma reveals is something the reviewer calls one of the most taboo topics they have seen in a mainstream movie with big stars.
The film runs in theaters now. For viewers in the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, and India, check local listings for showtimes starting April 3, 2026.
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