Zola Review

The new film from A24 Zola has opened to critical acclaim and excitement due to the fact it is based on a real life twitter thread. The film is directed by Janicza Bravo and stars Taylor Paige, Riley Keough, and Colman Domingo. The film follows a waitress who leaves her boyfriend and job behind for the weekend to go to Florida with a girl she just met and strip. Zola leaves with Stefani, but soon realizes the trip is not just a stripping trip, and is something completely different than what she signed up for. She is now being controlled by Stefani’s pimp “X” and is just trying find her way home.

Zola is beautifully filmed and has a soundtrack consisting of some of the most popular rap songs of the last couple of years. The film is very well balanced having many hilarious, sad, dramatic, and sometimes even scary moments. The film switches between narratives leaving the audience guessing on what could be true or false, while also commenting on sex work and the anxieties around it. Zola is a bright, creative, and real story about a weekend gone terribly wrong. Zola keeps one on the edge of their seat and is impossible to forget. Zola is a great indie summer flick, and scores an 8/10 on the MF Scale.