Zola (2021) Review
“I came to dance.”
Janicza Bravo’s latest film, Zola, is based on what is quite possibly, the most popular Twitter thread in existence. In less capable hands, it could have been a mess throughout. Luckily for us, Bravo and Jeremy O. Harris manage to take the thread, as well as the New York Times article by David Kushner, and transform them into a stylish endeavor in filmmaking; filled with passion, humor, and discomfort seeping through the cracks. From the dream-like introduction, and with the gorgeous cinematography of Ari Wegner, the film gets its foot in the door as a wholly unique experience; both visually and narratively. For a project with a relatively small budget of $5 million — it definitely look vastly more appealing than films with 25 times its budget.
Zola treats itself as a cautionary tale more than anything; with the dragging of the titular “character” into a world she does not want to be a part of. Working at a local restaurant, Zola (Taylor Paige), becomes immediately enamored with a customer she is serving, Stefani (Riley Keough). They quickly get acquainted through their shared hustle of dancing and, the very next day, Stefani invites Zola on a roadtrip to Florida to make some more money. Along with Stef is her boyfriend, Derrek (Nicolas Braun), and her “roommate” later revealed to be her pimp, X (Colman Domingo). What ensues is a grimy journey into the underbelly of Florida —while Zola soon realizes she’s been heaved into the same lifestyle as Stefani, though only for a weekend, against her will.
It’s a film that never really tones down the energy it throws at the viewer. Every single performance is profound; especially with Keough’s transformation into someone almost completely unrecognizable. There’s opposing energies thrown together onscreen between the mesh of characters:; Domingo’s hostile X and Braun’s cuckolded Derreck constantly clash in a daunting, yet oddly humorous, fashion. Paige’s performance as Zola is purposefully restrained to contrast that of Keough’s Stefani, and it leads into this toxic chemistry on screen that works so damn well — I wanted more. It’s not a film to dive deeply into thematically — but one that asks the viewer to stay long enough for the ride; because it really is a wild and engaging one. It’s a harrowingly honest peek into a modern lifestyle that many will be unfamiliar with. Bravo does a tremendous job of filming through the eyes of Zola even during the film’s most stress-inducing moments. Before the climax, all the tension is captured through Zola’s indifference towards the situation; trying to get through the day until she can finally go back home.
The film plays out much like the original thread; an outlandish and absurdist reaction to what should be a terrifying tale, and it certainly succeeds. The film ends quite abruptly, much like the tweets. There’s no traditional “biopic” postscript telling us where the “characters” are now (which serves the film well). And though I understand the intention behind ending the story as Zola and Stefani’s friendship comes to a close — I did find myself wanting something more concrete that grounds the entirety of the film. In any case, Janicza Bravo has crafted one of the best movies of the year and, although it’s adapted from a source material, it feels wholly original. Go check this one out.
