Title: Zola
MPAA Rating: NR
Director: Janicza Bravo
Starring: Taylour Paige, Riley Keough, Nicholas Braun
Runtime: 1 hr 30 mins

What It Is: Based on the Twitter drama. Zola (Paige) is an exotic dancer who is approached by the emphatic fellow dancer the bubbly, trashy party girl Stefani (Keogh) in an offer to partner up at a strip club in Florida. Deciding to trust the thrill of the new friendship and the smell of big money, Zola tags along with Stefani on a road trip... Stephani’s boyfriend and manipulative pimp included. What follows is insanity as the aggressively bipolar pimp threatens Zola to do tricks as the two women profit more and more off of prostituting Stefani.

What We Think: I have a new catchphrase: “A24 did it again.” No exaggeration, this was one of the most enjoyable films at Sundance so far. You’ll hear frequent references to Spring Breakers and Tangerine, considering the bombastic energy, smooth camerawork, and use of color. Nonetheless, Zola is its own monster. Utterly stylish in more ways than the average film, I adored its creative and precise use of sound design and voice over. Throughout the movie, you’ll hear tweet notifications. No, it’s probably not your device but is instead an insanely fun and clever strategy that grounds the film in both reality and a serviceable timeline. Zola’s voice-over aids in providing beats of humor, those of which were definitely successful in making me laugh, making me feel. That paired with Mica Levi’s cool, pounding score and the lovely framing make for a delicious viewing. The editing–oh my God. More often than not is social media and messaging represented in films end in cheesy and unflattering graphics. This was the opposite–the editing was clever and sometimes dreamy, adding to the sense of strange surrealism to the nightmarish situation; it integrates the theme of social media (tweets, a Reddit AMA…) in a mature manner that delights, unlike anything I’ve seen before. This progression in this modern filmmaking is huge, at least it is for me. Bad social media/text message graphics is a pet peeve of mine and I aim for its obliteration once and for all.

With that, the story is pretty fucking crazy. The writing and performances are constant fun yet instills a sense of dread throughout as we are carried with Zola on a trip that leads to her entrapment. The characters are a joy to watch, Riley Keough portraying a hilarious Woah-Vicky-type. Taylour Paige is fantastic as the lead, taking on great confidence and emotional range as a resourceful, very confused, very pissed-off woman stranded in a power struggle with a pack of manipulative strangers. She’s a match for Keough to be sure; their chemistry is so hypnotizing. The rest of the cast is amazing, each donating something incredible and unique all their own. It’s like a mixing pot of different kinds of crazy assholes and watching what happens when you turn the heat on high. To say the least, the talent behind Bravo’s direction is off the charts.

Our Grade: B+, A frequently funny spinning descent into one woman’s one bad move leading her into a tense and dangerous hostage situation. Regardless of the context (as fascinating as the actual events are), this film stands on its own as a dark comedy. Rarely can I say that about “based on a true story” films. Lovingly crafted and performed with great skill, be sure to watch this road-trip flick gone wrong. I can’t wait to watch this again.