Parkland Survivor’s ‘Biggest Concern’ In Zendaya’s New Movie

Zendaya and Robert Pattinson star in the controversial new movie, “The Drama.” The movie focuses on a happy couple that is about to head down the aisle. However, things take a turn when Zendaya’s character reveals the worst thing she’s ever done in what is meant to be a lighthearted game. However, her confession shocks them all and leaves her fiancé wondering just how well he knows his bride-to-be.

Warning: Spoilers ahead.

What Is The Secret Twist In ‘The Drama’?

The biggest twist in “The Drama” doesn’t ultimately have much impact on the story, as Zendaya’s character never actually goes through with it. Instead, she recalls how she planned a school shooting and was very close to carrying it out, only to pull the brakes at the last minute. No one found out, and she did not face any consequences for her plan until perhaps now, when it makes her fiancé second-guess how well he really knows her.

The movie has been teasing a “dark twist” but has ultimately been marketed as more of a lighthearted romantic comedy, which has caused quite a stir online. Both the marketing strategy and the use of a school shooting as a plot device have been under scrutiny online, leading to one of the most controversial films of the year.

Parkland Shooting Survivor Addresses Zendaya’s New Movie

Jackie Corin is a survivor of the 2018 Parkland shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that claimed 17 lives and the cofounder of March for Our Lives, a student-led organization that leads demonstrations in support of gun control legislation.

She told The Hollywood Reporter that she sees the film as “an inevitable evolution in storytelling,” given the frequency of school shootings, both in media and life. Although Corin admitted that she has yet to see the film, she addressed how incorporating a school shooting as a plot device can lead to “small tonal choices” that can change how a film is received.

Gun Violence Is ‘Not Just Another Dramatic Device’

“Gun violence, particularly in schools, is not just another dramatic device,” Corin said. “Art has the capacity to deepen public understanding and create emotional clarity and awareness, but it can also flatten and distort reality, especially when it leans on shorthand or tries to make something more palatable than it actually is. With something like a near school shooting, even small tonal choices can shift whether a story feels productive or dismissive.”

“I’m a survivor of the Parkland school shooting that killed 17 of my classmates and teachers,” Corin continued. “There isn’t distance from the subject. So when humor enters the frame, it can feel very different. Unfortunately, it’s also not even just people who have lived through this. It’s the millions of kids across this country who fear it every single day. So what might read as satire or tonal contrast to one audience can feel very jarring to another.”

Another School Shooting Survivor Weighs In

In 2019, Mia Tretta survived being shot in the stomach as a student during a shooting at her high school in Santa Clarita, California. She also addressed the film in a conversation with USA Today,  saying, “A character planning a school shooting isn’t something that should be joked about.”

Corin acknowledged that humor can be a way for audiences to process fear or grief, and acknowledged that it has its place. However, she expressed concern about the casting of two popular Hollywood actors and worries that it might affect the film’s reception.

“That was my biggest concern upon hearing about the plot,” she told the publication. “When you have someone like Zendaya and Robert Pattinson attached to a project, they both — separately, but also especially together — bring an enormous amount of attention and cultural weight. They are icons for a lot of young people. That can be a real asset if the project is handled with care, but it also means that the message reaches audiences who might not otherwise engage with the issue. It raises the stakes.”

Parkland Survivor Wants Zendaya and Robert Pattinson To Use Their Platforms Responsibly

Although Zendaya and Robert Pattinson have not addressed the topic of school shootings during the press tour, likely to conceal the “dark twist” in the film, Corin called it “an interesting strategy” and hoped that the actors involved would, eventually, address the topic of gun violence in a responsible manner.

“I hope that they use their platforms to talk about gun violence responsibly because they chose to play these characters,” Corin says of Zendaya and Pattinson. “I don’t think that the question is, ‘Should someone like Zendaya or Robert Pattinson be in a project like this?’ But does the project actually rise to the level of care that her platform brings to it?”

“The Drama” was released in theaters on April 3, 2026.