Zola review – Twitter thread movie adaptation is full of suspense
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‘Based on a true story’ is a common concept for movies, but how about ‘based on a Twitter thread’? In 2015, A’Ziah “Zola” King tweeted “Y’all wanna hear a story about why me & this bitch here fell out???????? It’s kind of long but full of suspense.” The subsequent thread become a viral sensation, described as everything from a cautionary tale to an epic poem. Eventually, it became a film – this week’s high-energy dramedy Zola.
Taylour Paige (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) plays Zola, a waitress and part-time stripper living in Detroit. One night, she serves Stefani (Riley Keough), an eccentric fellow dancer who is taken by Zola’s beauty and confidence. Stefani invites Zola to dance with her at a club, and the pair make a lot of money, as well as becoming instant friends. Zola is then invited on a road trip to Florida with Stefani’s boyfriend (Nicholas Braun) and her roommate X (Colman Domingo), who is actually her pimp. Lured by the promise of making thousands at high end strip clubs, Zola agrees, and unwittingly gets dragged into a chaotic journey involving prostitution, attempted suicide, and many selfies.
This is the type of story that suits studio A24, which have achieved cult status since its inception thanks to hits like Uncut Gems, Room, and Moonlight. Like Miramax in the 90s or Searchlight in the 2000s, the indie studio has forged a reputation for creating unique films from exciting new directors. This certainly fits the bill, with director Janicza Bravo making something that feels in the current moment. Conversations are studded with the ping and swoosh sounds of messaging apps, there’s fast editing and lots of handheld camerawork.
The subject of prostitution is handled in a very sex-positive way. A very clear line is drawn where sex work is not the thing being judged, it’s the deception and violence of certain individuals that is frowned upon. Indeed, a slow-motion procession of sweating clients personifies this film’s darkly comic tendencies. It’s a striking calling card for Bravo, a filmmaker who continues to impress following her work on 2017 comedy Lemon and the TV show Atlanta.
Paige is given room to develop a character with depth trapped in a skin-deep culture. Zola is certainly in this situation against her will, as demonstrated in some disturbingly tense scenes with X. However, the writing and performance portray a confident woman who is smart enough to manoeuvre the situation to keep herself safe, and perhaps grab some money if she can. Colman Domingo is chilling as the antagonist, switching accents depending on his mood and flanked by a very serious looking Madam. The wider his smile, the worse the situation seems to get. Braun is lovably pathetic as the boyfriend unable, or unwilling, to accept reality.
Keough is a talented actor who has built an impressive list of independent credits over the last decade, veering away the limelight of her famous family (she is Elvis Presley’s granddaughter). She sports a faux urban accent, greets Zola with an affectionate “Beeeeeeeetch”, and responds to the most extreme circumstances with “chill!” While Paige makes Zola’s approval clear in her hilarious narration (“they start fuckin’, it was gross”), it’s difficult to know what to feel about the character as she invites sympathy but rejects any responsibility (as displayed in a brilliant sequence where we hear her side of things).
Like 2016’s Spring Breakers, Zola begins to wear on your nerves as this wild ride goes to some dark places. However, strong performances and assured director make this much more than Twitter titillation.
Zola is in cinemas from 6th August