Respond to these rapid questions in our Zola quiz and we will tell you which Zola character you are. Play it now.
Those of you who were on Twitter on October 27, 2015, were most likely made aware of an epic Twitter thread that was unfolding in real time and spreading like wildfire at the speed of light. The thread was started by a woman named A’Ziah King (also known as A’Ziah King) “This post began with four photographs of Zola and another woman posing for selfies, with the caption: “Y’all want to hear a story about why me and this bitch here fell out???????? It’s a little long, but it’s packed with suspense.” She wasn’t making light of the situation. Zola recounted a story of taking a spontaneous road trip to Florida with a woman named Jessica in the hopes of landing some lucrative stripping gigs over the course of the next 148 tweets. But then Zola found herself roped into a crazy whirl of sex work, pimps, guns, not to mention a dude falling off a balcony. The entire thing was a cliffhanger, with thousands of people eagerly awaiting the next “dispatch,” but it was Zola’s voice that captured everyone’s attention the most. “I was like, “I really need to get back home, y’all.” Sorry for ruining the atmosphere, but I can’t take it any longer.” “I get out of the car and head down to the pool. I mean, I’m in Florida, after all!” She was destined to be a storyteller.
It is likely a first of its kind, but that Tweet thread has been turned into a film, directed by Janicza Bravo and written by Bravo and Jeremy O. Harris with a script co-written by Bravo and Harris (who wrote the Tony-nominated Slave Play). While going through some of the most terrifying chapters, the original thread continued to unfold with a propulsive and profane energy that was gossipy and humorous. There were some disturbing undertones, primarily stemming from Zola’s horror at being lured into a situation she had not agreed to, but she quickly moves on to the next thing, a wise-cracking survivor of the previous situation. “Zola” adheres closely to the original thread (after all, why fix something that isn’t broken? ), and frequently quotes it verbatim. But it is Bravo’s ability to capture the energy of Zola’s voice, as well as the distinctive characteristics of her point of view, that is most important. While this story is many things, it is also many things that it is not, and Bravo recognizes the difference between the two.
It is an instant connection when Zola (Taylour Paige) meets Stefani (Riley Keough) while waiting on her at a sports bar (the original location was a Hooters). You could say that Stefani “love bombs” Zola, showering her with compliments and making her feel special. There is something irresistible about Stefani, too, despite the fact that she is a complete mess (later in the film, Zola yells at her, “YOUR BRAIN IS BROKE!”), her exaggerated accent, and her culturally appropriated attire. As soon as Zola receives an invitation from Stefani to join her for a good stripping gig in Florida, she thinks it might be fun, even though it’s a little early in their friendship for them to embark on a “hoes trip.” On the other hand, when Stefani picks Zola up the following morning, Zola is dismayed to see two other people in the car: Stefani’s mysterious “roommate,” known only as “X” (Colman Domingo), and Stefani’s hapless jealous boyfriend, Derrick (James Franco) (Nicholas Braun). When Stefani confesses to Zola that X “takes care” of her, Zola is well aware of the situation. The man is known as a pimp, and not only that, but he intends to put them both to work the moment they set foot in Florida. The red flags were all over the place from the beginning (just look at Paige’s expressive face when Stefani continues to refer to her as “sis”), but Zola is confident that she can handle it.
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It’s difficult to imagine another filmmaker doing with this material what Bravo does with it. Her style is very free and open, but it is also very specific and crystal-clear at the same time. (Consult her first short film, “Eat,” starring Brett Gelman and Katherine Waterston, for further information.) It has everything: atmosphere, suspense, character development, and it’s only 14 minutes long. I highly recommend it. This is the case for all of her short films. Bravo emerged from the experience of “Eat” as a fully-formed artist.) Bravo is aware of the ominous undertones, but she also recognizes the exhilaration that precedes them. Both are required for this story. On the way to Florida, they all bust a move to the Migos’ “Hannah Montana,” yelling out the lyrics in unison while filming each other and gyrating in their seats, exhilarated by the sun, sand, and blue water zipping by outside as they enter the freedom of anarchic anything-goes Florida. Slow-motion shots of what they see outside the windows, first an enormous white cross free-standing on the side of the road, then a Confederate flag at half-mast, billowing in the wind, serve to undercut this. (Greetings from Florida.) Social media plays an important role in the narrative, and not only because the story originated there, but also because of the ways in which the characters make use of it throughout the narrative. With phone-chirp alerts interspersed throughout the action, the sound design reflects this fact of life. Aside from that, there are a few other flourishes that are used sparingly. There’s nothing on the screen to distract you. Periodic freeze-frames give Zola the opportunity to address us, her captive audience, with her thoughts: “From here on out, watch every move this bitch makes.”
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Bravo’s sensitivity to the surrounding environment is evident throughout the film. Zola, dressed in a canary-yellow bikini, stands on a balcony, surrounded by the blue of night, a solitary lonely figure snatching some solitude from the craziness. A huge liquor store transforms into a surreal dreamspace. A posh hotel lobby echoes with an emptiness that is almost ominous. As the women are driven around Florida for their assignments, there are repeated shots of dark highways, blurry stoplights, freeways, and backroads, and these “road” sequences are lonely, painterly, and beautiful. However, while Zola is a seasoned professional, there is a certain aspect of this that is reminiscent of Alice’s journey through the looking glass. Mirrors predominate, and this is not merely a clumsy symbolic nod, but rather a deliberate thematic selection. A series of mirror sequences shows the two women getting ready for a night out together, putting on their makeup next to each other as the mirrors proliferate their reflections, the two of them losing themselves in a trance of self-absorption. (“Scandal,” the 1989 film about the Profumo affair, has a similar sequence in which Joanne Whalley-Kilmer and Bridget Fonda get themselves ready for a party while in a state of autoeroticism.”) When Zola murmurs, “Who are you going to be tonight, Zola?” her image is multiplied across the screen five times over in another sequence. As soon as Stefani interjects her own point of view (as actually occurred, with the real-life counterpart taking to Reddit to defend herself), the tone of the film shifts completely, along with the color palette. Stefani’s world is now filled with pink-cupcake hues, her braids have been replaced by a “Vertigo”-style updo, and she’s feeling victimized, calling out Zola, who she believes is to blame for her predicament.
Also, you will find out which character are you in this Zola quiz.
This is a performance that Riley Keough is taking a huge risk with: she is a liar, she is a user, she is not in any way “likable,” but she has an infectious charm that makes it understandable why Zola was initially seduced by this woman (because it was a seduction). In the film’s center, however, is Paige, who holds it with a strong grounded sense of her own worth and a determination to maintain her sanity in the face of everyone else’s insane behavior. Paige communicates with her eyes, and it’s a pleasure to watch her shift gears on a dime (see her quicksilver no-nonsense attitude when she realizes Stefani is being taken advantage of by X). Both Domingo and Braun deliver amusingly broad performances, and X’s intermittent African accent, which appears only when he’s enraged, serves as a running joke throughout the film.
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Bravo’s refusal to shy away from portraying one of the most difficult qualities to portray in film (or anywhere else, for that matter, especially on social media) is perhaps the most compelling aspect of “Zola.” The film’s attitude toward the events depicted onscreen is unclear. Was the film’s attitude toward sex work explicit or implicit? In the direction of X? In the direction of Stefani? There are times when everything appears to be cut and dried. There are times when things aren’t quite as straightforward. There are some luscious and playful scenes of the two women stripping, but then there’s the moment when a client tips Zola, remarking that she looks like Whoopi Goldberg. The pleasure, as well as the disgust, are genuine. The sex work scenes contain distressing elements, but they are preceded by shots of a diverse array of penises, which serves to introduce the scenes. Heart emojis bloom on top of the largest piece of art. What makes this ambivalent is not that it’s complicated in the way that other things are. Ambivalence is something that almost everyone has experienced at some point in their lives, but it is treated as a major no-no in contemporary storytelling. Most people prefer their villains to be unambiguous, and they prefer bad behavior to be marked as “bad” with large neon arrows. In contrast to that kind of simplified binary, Bravo is a stronger film as a result of its refusal to play along.
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In all of this dazzling creativity, the only flaw is that the ending feels like it was almost cut off in the middle of a sentence. But that’s just a minor quibble. This is the kind of film that tells its story effectively while also demonstrating the joy of the creative process, not only in Bravo’s filmmaking but also in Zola’s decision to go on Twitter and tell her story in the first place. It’s not every day that you come across a voice like hers.
The film is currently playing in theaters.
For more personality quizzes check this: The Courier Quiz.
