Zola (2020)

“Y’all wanna hear a story about why me & this bitch here fell out?”

Zola is the adaptation of the (mostly) true epic twitter thread by A’Ziah King, a writer and sex worker who’s story about a surprisingly turbulent weekend monopolized the internet back in 2015. There is so much to love about this movie — it’s funny and terrifying, kinetic and claustrophobic. The acting is spot on, and both Taylour Paige and Riley Keough do a great job bringing this whirlwind friendship to life. Director of Photography Ari Wegner (recently nominated for her cinematography of The Power of the Dog) cultivates an aesthetic that uses textures and bright colours, and as the story gets darker and darker, so does her lighting.

Writer-director Janicza Bravo and writer Jeremy O’Harris bring so many excellent details into their script that keeps A’Ziah King’s voice alive throughout the movie, like the twitter chimes, text messages, all of the voice-over. Bravo brings all of her experience as a filmmaker and dramaturge to make this story fresh and engaging. In an interview with Variety during the 2020 Sundance festival, Bravo explained her approach to telling King’s story. “It was definitely like this is where Bodak Yellow and Blue Velvet meet,” she laughed, “and I would like to invite myself to this space”.
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