ZOLA is the film adaptation of A’Ziah “Zola” King’s viral October 15, 2015, Twitter thread that shocked the digital reading hemisphere. ZOLA is opening in theaters nationwide on Wednesday, June 30, 2021, as a Rated-R film that will have you will have you jaw-dropping in disbelief of what you’re witnessing.
When a Black woman asks, “Who’s all going?” you better believe we’re investigating if we should pull up or not at the spot. Unfortunately, A’Ziah “Zola” King allowed her curiosity to lead her down a dangerous path that will leave you unequivocally speechless.
After reviewing this film, the visualization of Zola’s story brought to life on the big screen is the epitome of watching a hot a** mess unfold?. Bursts of intermittent laughter occurred as I turned my head in disgust, just as Zola exclaimed the same sentiment during various scenes. A’Ziah “Zola” King deserves all the coins and therapy she desires after experiencing this portrait of traumatic events.
Taylour Paige (Zola) killed this performance with her facial reactions and commentary. Riley Keough (Stefani) gave a valuable and hilarious perspective of painting Zola as the Black hood rat, which is on-point for how Black women are often seen as the aggressor in disagreements. Colman Domingo is magnificent in his portrayal of a modern sophisticated pimp.
And the bathroom stop at the gas station had me in tears thinking of the horror most Black women entail to prevent themselves from sitting on a public toilet. And the subtleties of revealing the urine color spoke volumes. There is a rhythm and nuance that floats poetically in the background to bring about a valued effect in this film.
Overall, women young and old should pick up clues of what not to do when faced with an out-of-this-world proposition that is too good to be true. The minute that man at the strip club told Zola, “You look a lot like Whoopi Goldberg,” was an immediate clue for her to runand get the hell out of dodge, but I guess catching an Uber wasn’t an option.
ZOLA features an incredible ensemble, including a breakout performance from Taylour Paige (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Boogie) as well as Riley Keough (American Honey), Nicholas Braun (Succession), and Colman Domingo (Ma Rainey’s Black Botttom, Euphoria). The film was edited by the Oscar nominated Joi McMillon (Moonlight) and features a score by the brilliant Mica Levi (Under The Skin, Jackie).
Synopsis: Zola (Taylour Paige), a Detroit waitress, strikes up a new friendship with a customer, Stefani (Riley Keough), who seduces her to join a weekend of partying in Florida. What at first seems like a glamorous trip full of unexpected adventures rapidly transforms into a 48-hour journey to Tampa that turns into a wild, see-it-to-believe-it tale. The film is Rated-R for mature audiences only.
