30 Jun Zola Review

ZOLA

dir. Janicza Bravo starring Taylour Paige, Riley Keough, and Colman Domingo

Based off a 2015 Twitter thread of nearly 150 tweets, Zola’s social media-to-film transition is an interesting look the possibilities of story inspirations in Hollywood. In this instance, the story told to us by A’Ziah King details a wild ride filled with strippers, hidden motivations, and imminent danger. As written by King, it’s a thread that makes you think oh man this would be a great movie.

Which brings us to Zola, another release by cinephile-favorite A24. Starring Taylour Paige and a bombastic Riley Keough, audiences are introduced to waitress Zola and her brand new bestie Stefani as they form an immediate bond while Stefani eats at Zola’s restaurant. After inviting Zola to Miami to strip for a few days with the promises of a hefty payday, the trip almost immediately spirals out of Zola’s control as the true meaning behind Stefani’s invitation reveals itself.

A comedy-drama that tries and mildly succeeds at both, Zola suffers greatly from its inconsistent tone and weak story. Nothing is truly resolved by the film’s end: Zola’s boyfriend is less than pleased with her going on the trip and while he’s occasionally seen attempting to get in contact with her, he eventually fades out of the film. Likewise for Derek, self proclaimed boyfriend of Stefani, as he struggles with the events of the wild weekend. The movie ends mid story for Derek, just as his character was beginning to get interesting.

Taylour Paige delivers an incredibly solid performance with the material given. Watching her eagerness at a girls trip transition to unease and eventually seeing the full realization of her situation set in showcased a range for Paige that I’m eager to see in future movies. While the character of Zola seems to shift at times between frustration at what’s going on and indifference to certain stations, the fault can’t be placed on Paige. Keough brings an almost manic energy to Stefani, starting out at 100% and maintaining that level for a majority of the film. She hides her duplicitous nature over the veneer of a bubbly, upbeat friend for Zola, but once her true nature is revealed, Keough tones down the performance and shifts gears. Colman Domingo as X, Stefani’s handler, shines as an absolute wildman, motivated by nothing but greed and more than willing to use these women as objects to further his own goals. Nicholas Braun as Derek, one of the more sympathetic characters in the film, tags along as Zola’s erstwhile boyfriend to keep an eye on things. Derek’s unawareness of the real situation at hand, being kept completely in the dark by Stefani and X, is played brilliantly by Braun in a mandchild fashion: dull enough to not know what’s going on but aware enough that something’s up and he doesn’t know what.

Directed by Janicza Bravo (who helmed the Juneteenth episode of Atlanta, one of its best), Zola struggles to find its balance between wanting to revel in the absolute comedic insanity of the circumstances Zola finds herself in and the more dramatic aspects that come to light in the second act. While there’s plenty of great scenes and sequences throughout the movie, the sum of all the sequences don’t add up to a truly good film. Thankfully, a quick pace and bold creative decisions (some of which convinced the couple next to me to quickly vacate the theater) keep the movie from completely drowning. The set design is deserving of praise: from lush Miami hotels down to the flea-ridden room Derek is forced to stay in, the vibrant background that contrast with the dubious actions makes for an experience almost as surreal as the original story itself.

Overall, with the inclusion of the tepid False Positive and now Zola, A24 seems to be posed to have a bit of a rocky year with their releases. Strong performances from Paige, Keough, and Domingo aren’t quite enough to make up for the directionless meandering of the story. With the movie wavering between tones and unwilling to fully commit to any of them, what we end up with is a hodgepodge that suffers under the weight of expectations. Zola is in theaters June 30th.

Happy birthday, mom.

Review by Darryl Mansel