This article contains spoilers for the forthcoming film ‘The Drama’.
The parent of a child murdered in the 1999 Columbine High School massacre has criticised the forthcoming A24 dark comedy The Drama, which features a plot point centred around a school shooting.
The film, which is released April 3, stars Zendaya and Robert Pattinson as a couple who are days away from being married, whose relationship is rocked by a revelation made during a parlour game where players reveal the “worst thing you’ve ever done”.
According to a report by TMZ, the twist in the film sees Zendaya’s character reveal that the worst thing she ever did was plan a school shooting, only to back out at the last minute. The confession shakes the foundations of the couple’s trust, throwing the wedding into doubt. No actual violence is depicted in the film, only the abandoned plan is discussed.
Speaking to the outlet, Tom Mauser, whose son Daniel was murdered in the Columbine massacre, said he was “disgusted” that the subject would be used in the film, and that it is “awful” that the filmmakers chose this idea as the twist for the movie. He also stated that he believed a popular star such as Zendaya “humanises” the issue of school shootings.
On April 20, 1999, teenagers Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold murdered 13 fellow students and one teacher in a school shooting and attempted bombing at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado, United States. The pair then turned their guns on themselves in one of the most infamous tragedies in American history.
The massacre sparked a debate on gun control in the United States, and inspired films such as the Oscar-winning Michael Moore documentary Bowling For Columbine, as well as the 2003 fictional drama Elephant.
Distributor A24 are yet to publicly comment on the backlash.
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