'Zola' doesn't know what to say about its crazy
A24
If you had to describe "Zola" with a strict character limit, you could just say "Florida" and move on. And the movie, which should be judged not for being based on a Twitter thread but for being only based on a Twitter thread, sadly doesn't have much more to say than, "Going to unknown places with unknown people may not turn out that well, ya know?"
Even those who don't know the @zola thread (I didn't) can assume something wild happened (#hencethemovie), and director/co-writer Janicza Bravo couldn't have found better leads for the increasingly outrageous weekend as Zola (Taylour Paige) joins new pal Stephanie (Riley Keough) on what she thinks will be a road trip involving nothing more than highly profitable pole dancing. Before you can say, "I should not have agreed to this, and, wait, what did I even agree to anyway?" Zola realizes Stephanie (#whoshemetyesterday) may not be a true friend and the tough guy in the car whose name she doesn't even know (Colman Domingo) might not have her best interests in mind either.
A little like a very, very discounted "Spring Breakers" (#bestmovieof2013), "Zola" is incredibly watchable but ultra-shallow, assured of its weirdness and salaciousness but not its news value. How about recognizing how a thread becomes a movie, or even just how society reacts to insanity? Without that, this isn't even really the whole story. It’s not like the movie has much to say about racism, exploitation, social media or financial desperation. From a longevity standpoint this is less a viral thread than a run on Snapchat, and the reason is that Bravo declines to consider who Zola is beyond this experience. The story needs context, and the feeling of inevitable destruction while watching lessens what surely was ridiculous and traumatizing in person (but hardly unprecedented compared to countless antics in other movies).
To put it another way: In-person "WTF" doesn't always prevent an onscreen "eh."
C+
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