The Drama

by Sydney King ’26 on April 16, 2026

A&E - Film & TV

Everyone’s Dream Wedding…

Perhaps one of the most anticipated films of 2026 so far, Kristoffer Borgli’s The Drama, starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, relied on vagueness of the plot in the promotional material. So, when I sat down in the theater, I had no idea what I was getting myself into, and reflecting on my viewing experience, I still don’t exactly know how I feel about it.

Pattinson and Zendaya are Charlie and Emma, an engaged couple that are overwhelmed by butterflies the week of their wedding. The film begins in a nonlinear narrative format, jumping from scene to scene as Charlie and Emma reflect on their favorite memories of each other to their friends. This out-of-order narration style is meant to parallel the speeches that the two are writing for each other for their wedding reception. This pattern shifts towards the end of the first act, as when Emma and Charlie are out to dinner with another couple they are friends with, the group decides to reveal what the worst thing they had ever done was. The film’s downward spiral begins with Emma’s confession, and if you’d like to avoid spoilers, do not read any further. Emma admits that when she was 15, she planned, in detail, a school shooting.

After this confession, I have a hard time deciding what to make of the film’s message. Emma reveals that the reason she did not go through with the shooting was because another one happened in her town, and she saw firsthand how it affected everyone in the community. I found it nauseating how it is implied that it took tragedy for Emma to fully realize the consequences that her actions would have, indicating her character’s lack of empathy. However, through flashbacks, it’s shown that after the mass shooting in her town, she leads a group of students at her high school in gun violence activism, making her exterior persona a complete switch from her prior internal self.

This contrast between Emma’s persona and her inner self is carried throughout the rest of the film, as we see with flashbacks of her planning the shooting, as well as Charlie’s memories of her. Charlie begins to feel more anxious and frenzied as he starts to view his memories of Emma through a different perspective; she has a very clear antagonistic edge to her that he simply considered a flaw, but could now be something dangerous.

The discourse around this film has been littered primarily with two differing perspectives of whether or not Emma—and people in general—are capable of true change, and whether the intent or impact of a person’s actions are worse. One camp believes that Emma has truly changed, while the other remains mortified at her confession. Admittedly, I still have yet to decide how I truly feel. While Emma’s confession is the driving force of the plot, the entire cast of characters spend the film either admitting or repeatedly doing what they consider to be the worst action they’ve ever committed. It begs the question, is everyone truly horrible? Are people doomed to be products of their worst actions for the rest of their lives? Do we ever truly know who the people in our lives are?

A Fashionable Affair

by The Cowl Editor on December 11, 2021

A&E - Fashion

A Fashionable Affair

Style Icon Paris Hilton’s Wedding Extravaganza

Olivia Riportella ’25

Pop culture icon Paris Hilton recently celebrated her wedding with a festivity-filled three-day weekend. She tied the knot with venture capitalist fiancé, Carter Reum, on Nov. 11 at the former Bel Air estate of her late grandfather, Barron Hilton. The ceremony was followed by a carnival on the Santa Monica Pier Friday night and a black-tie event Saturday evening. And, as expected, the fashion of the weekend was off the charts—Hilton revealed that she planned to wear eleven wedding dresses because “It’s 11/11.”

When the couple said “I do” on the first evening, Hilton dazzled in a stunning high-neck, long-sleeve gown designed by Oscar de la Renta’s Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim. The body and sleeves of the dress were embroidered in pressed flower thread work, which gradually faded onto a tulle ball skirt. Hilton’s veil, also designed by Garcia and Kim, featured similar floral details.

According to Vogue, Hilton expressed that she “spent months designing [her] dress to perfection with the amazing Oscar de la Renta designers, Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim.” The new bride emphasizes that she “love[d] how it turned out. I wanted something that was timeless, elegant, chic, and iconic, and I am so happy.” Reum wore a classic Zegna tuxedo to the wedding, and teared up when he saw Hilton in her gown for the first time.

Before walking down the aisle, however, Hilton got glam with her bridal party in a custom floral-patterned silk Agent Provocateur robe that featured an array of beads and sequins. Then, after the ceremony and at the reception, Hilton changed into a princess-like gown by Galia Lahav for her first dance with Reum. The tulle off-the-shoulder dress featured a corset top that flowed into a full skirt, and she completed the look with a tiara and stunning tennis necklace.

Hilton then changed into a second, much shorter, Oscar de la Renta dress at the reception. This one included a bustier top and A-line mini skirt, with 3D floral embroidery along the shoulder, similar to the floral patterns on her ceremony gown. Hilton later switched things up once more, slipping into a stunning custom Pamella Roland gown with sequin and pearl embroidery and pairing it with a dramatic sheer embellished cape.

For the bridal party, the bridesmaids (Hilton’s sister-in-law Tessa Hilton, cousins Farrah Aldjufrie and Brooke Wiederhorn, and the groom’s sister Halle Reum Hammond) were dressed by Alice + Olivia in stunning pink corded lace gowns featuring a V-neck, flutter sleeves and a banded empire waist. Younger sister and Maid-of-Honor, Nicky Hilton Rothschild, was dressed in an elegant, slightly different pink Alice + Olivia corded lace gown featuring long-sleeves and satin ruffles. Each bridesmaid was also given a Tzuri bracelet.

Meanwhile, the groomsmen (Reum’s brother Courtney Reum, Cade Hudson, Oliver Hammond, James Rothschild, Barron Hilton, Conrad Hilton, and Jay Milliken) were dressed in designer Nigel Curtiss tuxedos and bowties handmade by Shawn Christopher.

Friday night, Paris sported a custom Alice + Olivia hot pink high-low dress with bedazzled mesh sleeves to her neon Santa Monica carnival bash. The bride completed her bold look with pink-rimmed heart-shaped sunglasses and a matching pink veil. Nicky Hilton Rothschild also stunned in a custom colorful bodycon mini dress with neon pink stilettos.

The newlyweds ended their extravagant weekend with another star-studded party at her late grandfather’s Bel-Air estate. Hilton sported a floor-length, custom- made Oscar de la Renta gown, covering her in silver stars from head to toe. She completed her fabulous look with a glamorous updo and smokey eye.

Needless to say, the style icon’s wedding extravaganza was quite the fashionable affair.