Viral Twitter story makes for original film experience
In the eighth century, Homer wrote the epic poem “The Odyssey,” and in 2015, a woman named A’Ziah “Zola” King took to Twitter to share her own incredible saga. In a 148-tweet thread, she described a trip to Florida that she took with a new friend in a tale of strip clubs and sex work arguably more harrowing than the journey of Odysseus.
“The Story,” as it came to be known, instantly went viral. A feature in Rolling Stone followed and soon Hollywood types were haggling over the rights to capture this lightningin-a-bottle moment.
The film, “Zola,” arriving on screens six years later and directed by Janicza Bravo, is a delightfully dark and funny cinematic imagining of Zola’s epic. And most importantly, it preserves and maintains the most crucial element of King’s story: her perspective and voice.
Bravo, who co-wrote the film with playwright Jeremy O. Harris, has a preternatural sense for cinematic textures, soundscapes and tempos; she applies her sensibility to this tale rooted in smart phone culture. The dialogue is informed by text and Twitter linguistics, dramatic beats are driven by and delivered via phone. Digital dings, whistles and vibrations make up a jittery sonic blanket that overlays Bravo’s visual style of carefully composed static shots and slow zooms.
Using Helvetica font for time stamps and title cards, Bravo refers to the text’s digital origins while creating a sense of urgency and impending doom, which is underscored by a motif of shots barreling down the highway in Tampa. Zola (Taylour Paige) met Stefani (Riley Keough) only a few days earlier, waiting tables. When Stefani invites Zola to dance at a strip club in Florida, she jumps at the chance, and right into a black Mercedes G-Wagon belonging to Stefani’s “roommate” (Colman Domingo), with Stefani’s boyfriend, Derrek (Nicholas Braun), along for the ride.
After one brief, gloriously euphoric moment, the bloom is almost immediately off the road-trip rose, as Zola realizes she’s made a terrible mistake joining the obnoxious and shifty Stefani. Paige has the gift of an icy stare that Bravo puts to good use: the annoyance that Zola feels is palpable.
But this isn’t just about being stuck on a trip with someone you despise, as the weekend jaunt devolves into chaos. Stefani’s roommate is her pimp, and he expects the girls to work, not just the pole. Zola is too confident and self-possessed to be pushed into sex work by a stranger, but she stays with Stefani in a sisterly attempt at protection and solidarity, and ultimately becomes something of a madam herself.
“Zola” wouldn’t work without the cast, who are game for anything that King, Bravo and Harris throw their way. Domingo is unsurprisingly fantastic, code-switching between smooth talk and a West Indian accent when necessary; Braun takes all of Derrek’s humiliation on the chin. But the film belongs to the women.
This is undoubtedly a star-making turn for the stunning Paige, who has a magnetic screen presence, alternating between placid scrutiny and explosive outbursts. Keough once again proves she is unmatched when it comes channeling a very specific type of white American woman. Her work with accents and mannerisms is masterly. Zola’s authorship and Bravo’s respect for her storytelling make “Zola” a wholly original experience.
MPAA rating: R (strong sexual content and language, graphic nudity and violence)
Running time: 1:30
Where to watch: In theaters