Riley Keough and Taylour Paige in Zola Photo: A24It helps to understand Twitter in October 2015, when Aziah Zola King's grueling trip to Tampa, Florida, was first shared by the Detroit-based exotic dancer. The context is important: This tale was originally shared across 148 tweets, at a time when Twitter didn't support longform storytelling. There was a limit of 140 characters and no way to group related tweets. The threading tool and an increased character allowance were introduced two years later. This meant that attempts to spin a story of any length were reserved for those moments that were truly exceptional and worth the effort. This is how Kings storytelling worked: It was followed by thousands of people before Twitter made it easy for readers and writers.AdvertisementTwitter was captivated by Kings chaotic tale for hours. The thread was long and full of suspense, as King warned at the top. However, it also had a unique, spirited perspective. King was able to work within the limitations of the platform to create her extraordinary experience. This set the bar high for the burgeoning field of long-form social media storytelling. Zola is co-director Janicza Bravo and Jeremy O. Harris. A committed cast shows a deep respect for Kings voice. This is why they are so close to capturing that original tweetstorm's enthusiasm.Reviews Zola B Zola Director Janicza Bravo Runtime: 87 minutes Rating R Language English Cast Taylour Page, Riley Keough and Colman Domingo Availability: Select theaters June 30,Zola unravels the story of the film's titular protagonist (Taylour Paige) and her unfortunate meeting with Riley Keough, the film is called Stefani. They have only known each other for a few days when Stefani invites Zola to join her on a road trip from California for a lucrative gig at a club. Zola refuses to accept the offer against her better judgement. Stefanis sexy boyfriend Derrek (Nicholas Braun), and her roommate, the deceptively laidback X(Colman Domingo) are along for the ride. Zola is not happy with the alienating dynamics of the trio and the failure to have a good time at the club. Soon, Zola realizes that she has been tricked into prostitution and will be kidnapped and murdered.Bravo and Harris quickly demonstrate Zola's quick bonding with Stefani. They do this by engaging in fast-paced dialogue. Because of their shared experience as young sex workers, the women develop a natural rhythm. The most relatable aspect of #TheStory as it was hashtagged is the possibility of finding camaraderie and fellow outsiders.As Zola's opening tweetreconfigured as voice-over narration in the film, it was clear that they were heading for a fallout. Bravo and Harris focus on the cognitive dissonance that caused their friendship to end quickly. Clever allusions to the fundamental differences between these women, from a disturbing scene in a gas station toilet to how Stefani leans back into an affect blaccent while degrading Black women, hint at the deeper story underneath the misadventure. We see through Zola the ongoing conflict between Black women, and women like Stefani who are not afraid to immerse themselves in Black culture for their own gain without respecting the women they try to imitate. Although hijinks drive Kings story, Bravo does not allow viewers to forget about Stefanis ability to manipulate her whiteness and how she uses it to avoid accountability.Zola Photo: A24AdvertisementHowever, Zola is a hilarious, catastrophic road-trip drama that balances the absurdity of social media with the terrifying reality of being in dangerous situations. The story's digital roots are reflected in the text messages and the chirpy notifications. Long shots of boring roads and unremarkable roads convey a sense of growing, endless dread. The soundtrack by Mica Levi and Jackie is an extraordinary addition to the film. Bravo, who previously made the humourous comedy Lemon, uses symmetry as a way to show the growing tension between the women. He places them side-by-side for shots of them getting ready or physically divides them with the wall in a hotel room when they are starting to fight.Bravo has assembled a talented cast that can make even the most mundane moments funny. Paige is an excellent Zola, equal parts indignant as well as accustomed to wild behavior. Paige steals scenes with her deadpan delivery. This cements her comedic instincts and gives her note-perfect readings. It was disgusting. She offered side commentary and blunt observations. Keough takes this opportunity to show off her comedy skills, especially in a montage where Stefani offers her side of the story. Braun, meanwhile, is a well-cast character as the loving boyfriend, even though the performance is strongly reminiscent to his work on HBO's Succession.AdvertisementZola is an absolute treat for followers and fans of the original Twitter thread. The film sometimes relies too heavily on the viral success of the story, and fails to explain the more difficult moments for viewers who are not familiar with the source material. Colman switches between an American accent and a vaguely African accent without warning, for example. Although he is identified as African in the original thread, the film doesn't mention his origins nor what caused this sudden verbal slipit. Bravo and Harris fail to make their movie have a satisfying conclusion. While the original thread provided updates on key players, Zola ends in a non-dramatic fashion with a scene that feels at most two scenes too early. The film does highlight what Twitter followers have already known: A good story can be told from any source, no matter how small or large, shot by shot or 140 characters at once.
