Rent Zola (2020)

Bitter-sweet ride to the dark side - Zola review by TE

'Zola' is such a slick, glossily crafted film that it almost makes you forget that you are watching a tale about the violent degradation of women. Zola herself refuses to allow her own body to be used for paid sex, but she does pimp out her friend. Money rules everything and everyone in Zola's world.

However, if you can live with the subject matter, the film has a wonderfully compelling energy. The soundtrack is excellent, and the dialogue is a comical treasure trove of black American speech, a poetic verbal rhythm that is made all the more obvious by the way that Stefani, the young white woman joint lead, uses nothing but African-American twang and slang.

The cinematography is often stunning as well, with clever, pacey edits and bright, beautifully balanced frames.

The screenplay is apparently based on a viral Twitter feed and state-of-the-art phones play an appropriately big part in the narrative. Potentially serious scenes are played for laughs. It's a strategy that succeeds in make 'Zola' a fun, very watchable movie, but one that has an after taste of disquiet.

Unpleasant Social Comedy Drama - Zola review by GI

Based on a twitter feed that went viral this is allegedly a true story although it's very style indicates there are different viewpoints of what actually happened. part road movie and part social comedy/drama this is chiefly Zola's story, a black waitress who moonlights as a pole dancing stripper played by Taylour Paige. When she meets Stefani (Riley Keough), a fast talking white girl with an outrageous 'blaccent' that is borderline offensive and clearly meant to be, she is lured on a trip to Florida to strip in the clubs and earn money. But when Stefani's dopey boyfriend (Nicholas Braun) and another nameless guy (Colman Domingo) also tag along things turn sinister as it turns out Zola will have to do more than just pole dance! This is a voyeuristic and at times cringeworthy film with a central character that is clearly stupid to go on the trip in the first place although she manages to find some grit as events take a nasty turn. There's elements of a thriller here but ultimately its a film you'll admire or hate. Good performances but not a pleasant watch.