Zola (film)
Zola | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Janicza Bravo |
Screenplay by |
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Based on |
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Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Ari Wegner |
Edited by | Joi McMillon |
Music by | Mica Levi |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | A24 |
Release dates |
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Running time | 90 minutes[1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $5 million[2] |
Box office | $4.5–5 million[3][4][5] |
Zola is a 2020 American black comedy crime film directed by Janicza Bravo and written by Bravo and Jeremy O. Harris. It is based on a viral Twitter thread from 2015 by Aziah "Zola" King and the resulting Rolling Stone article "Zola Tells All: The Real Story Behind the Greatest Stripper Saga Ever Tweeted" by David Kushner. It stars Taylour Paige as Zola, a part-time stripper who is convinced by her new friend (Riley Keough) to travel to Tampa, Florida, in order to earn money, only to get in over her head; Colman Domingo, Nicholas Braun, and Ari'el Stachel also star.
The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2020, and was released in the United States on June 30, 2021 by A24, following a year delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Zola received positive reviews from critics, earning nominations in numerous awards shows including seven nods at the 37th Independent Spirit Awards, among them Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay.[6]
Plot
Aziah "Zola" King, a self-assured waitress and part-time stripper in Detroit, meets Stefani, an outgoing and crass fellow stripper, while serving her at work. Stefani invites Zola to dance with her at a club that night, and the two form a quick friendship. The next day, Stefani proposes that Zola join her on a road trip to Tampa, Florida, the location of a strip club where Stefani claims the two can make significant money. Zola joins Stefani; her mysterious roommate, X; and Stefani's sheepish boyfriend, Derrek, on a road trip.
Upon arriving in Tampa, Stefani, Zola, and X leave Derrek at a seedy motel while they visit the club where Stefani claims her friends earned over $5,000 in one night. The two perform at the club, but do not net nearly as much as Stefani insisted they would. After, Zola learns that Stefani and X have posted photos of her and Stefani in a Backpage advertisement selling a night of sex with them. Zola attempts to leave, but is threatened by X, who reveals himself to be Stefani's pimp.
X brings the women to an upscale hotel, where Stefani proceeds to have sex with a male client. Zola, who does not wish to participate, is incredulous when she learns that X is charging only $150 per client. Zola edits the Backpage advertisement, changing the rate to $500 to help Stefani earn more money; by the end of the night, Stefani has made over $8,000. X is initially insulted by Zola's intervention, but quickly grows impressed. Meanwhile, Derrek, left to his own devices, befriends a man named Dion whom he meets at the motel. When X, Stefani, and Zola return to the motel, X is enraged to discover that Derrek informed Dion about their reason for visiting Tampa. Worried that Dion and his associates will rob them, X forces the group to flee.
After arriving at another hotel, X arranges for Stefani to see more clients at various locations, while a reluctant Zola stands by to ensure Stefani's safety. When Derrek realizes Stefani is again engaging in prostitution, he argues with her, revealing to Zola that Stefani has manipulated other dancers into unwittingly participating in similar prostitution rackets. Zola is angered and loses all trust in Stefani. Derrek and Stefani's quarreling is interrupted when X bursts in with Baybe, his lover and madam, who is armed with a gun. After calming the situation, X gives Zola a gun for the women's protection, and Stefani and Zola are sent out so Stefani can continue to meet with clients.
After Stefani engages in a gang bang at a private residence, the two women visit another hotel, where a client has responded to their Backpage ad. Upon opening the hotel room door, Stefani is grabbed by the client and forced into the room. A terrified Zola flees and calls X and Derrek on her phone. The three return to the room and find the men inside are Dion and an accomplice, armed with shotguns, who have posed as clients in order to rob Stefani of her earnings. At gunpoint, X offers the men $50,000, along with possession of Zola, if they let him and Derrek leave with Stefani, who has been beaten unconscious. As Zola is digitally penetrated against her will by Dion, X manages to draw the gun Zola has in her purse, then shoots Dion in the throat. The group flee the hotel, disposing of Dion's guns by throwing them into the Tampa Bay.
The group eventually arrives at a large, luxurious home X shares with Baybe. X finally allows Zola to leave and proclaims his possession of Stefani, but Derrek threatens to commit suicide should Stefani remain loyal to X. Derrek immediately throws himself over a balcony, landing on concrete below and injuring his head. Zola, Stefani, and X leave to take Derrek to the hospital. In the car, Stefani proclaims her love for Zola, but is met with cool disgust as an exhausted Zola looks out the window and ignores her.
Cast
- Taylour Paige as Aziah "Zola" King
- Riley Keough as Stefani
- Nicholas Braun as Derrek
- Colman Domingo as Abegunde "X" Olawale
- Ari'el Stachel as Sean
- Jason Mitchell as Dion
- Ts Madison as Hollywood
- Nelcie Souffrant as Gail
- Nasir Rahim as Jonathan
- Sophie Hall as Baybe
- Jarquale Stewart as CC
Production
In October 2015, Detroit waitress Aziah "Zola" King posted a 148-tweet thread about a trip she took to Florida with a stripper named Jessica; the story, containing details of prostitution, murder and an attempted suicide, quickly went viral, garnering the recognition of people such as Missy Elliott, Solange Knowles and Ava DuVernay.[7] About a month later, Rolling Stone's David Kushner published an article interviewing people involved in the story; while the article noted several inconsistencies in the stories, and King has admitted to embellishing some of the more sensational details, most of the involved have admitted to the general gist of the story.[7]
In February 2016, it was announced James Franco would direct the film, from a screenplay by Andrew Neel and Mike Roberts. Franco, Vince Jolivette, Christine Vachon, David Hinojosa, and Kara Baker would serve as producers on the film, under their Rabbit Bandini Productions, Killer Films and Gigi Films banners, respectively.[8] In January 2018, it was announced the film was initially set to begin production in February 2018, but was shelved following sexual misconduct allegations against Franco.[9][10] In June 2018, it was announced Janicza Bravo would direct the film, replacing Franco, while A24 would distribute.[11] In October 2018, Taylour Paige was cast in the film to play the lead role.[12] That same month, Riley Keough, Nicholas Braun, Colman Domingo, and Jason Mitchell joined the cast of the film.[13][14] In November 2018, Ari'el Stachel joined the cast.[15]
Filming
Principal photography began on October 29, 2018.[16] The entire film was shot in 27 days.[5] Production concluded on December 7, 2018.[17]
Release
The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2020, where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Awards pre-screening.[18] Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions, under the Stage 6 Films banner, acquired the international rights (excluding Canada and Japan) to the film.[19][20] It was released in the United States on June 30, 2021.[21]
Reception
Box office
In the United States and Canada, Zola was projected to gross $2–4 million from 1,468 theaters in its opening weekend.[2] The film made $505,000 on its first day of release and $282,000 on its second. It went on to debut to $1.2 million in its opening weekend and $2 million over the five-day frame, finishing ninth at the box office.[22] The film fell 48% to $620,000 in its second weekend, finishing in 10th.[23]
Critical response
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 88% based on 222 reviews, with an average rating of 7.6/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Zola captures the stranger-than-fiction appeal of the viral Twitter thread that inspired it – and announces director/co-writer Janicza Bravo as a filmmaker to watch."[24] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 76 out of 100, based on 46 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[25] PostTrak reported that 68% of audience members gave Zola positive score, with 46% saying they would definitely recommend it.[22]
Writing for The A.V. Club, Shannon Miller gave the film a grade of "B" and said: "Zola is first and foremost a zany, catastrophic road-trip dramedy, one that balances the whimsy of social media with the harrowing reality of being trapped in a dangerous situation."[26] Critic Owen Gleiberman of Variety called Zola "a true story so extravagant it feels like it must have been made up. It's a mini volcano of sex and violence and danger and deception. It's a close-to-the-bone portrait of women who work in the sex industry. It's a youthquake as real as American Honey. It's a piece of pure filmmaking bravura."[27]
Peter Debruge, also writing for Variety, praised the "virtuoso filmmaking and a pair of killer performances" but wrote: "Sure, it's fun to see a movie skewer the vapid soullessness of social media and the unregulated economy of male desire, but Zola ultimately rings hollow. The actors are fearless, and yet, how much do we know about these characters in the end? The answer: something of their values, but almost nothing of their lives."[28] Writing for The Face, Ludwig Hurtado said the film was part of a genre he termed "Tampa-core," which he described as presenting a "hyper-stylised vision of Florida" with "all the violence and drama of a classic western"; he included Waves and Spring Breakers as comparable titles.[29]
Accolades
References
- ^ "Zola". Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 29, 2021). "Universal Will Own Top Three Spots At July 4th Box Office In Rare Feat". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
- ^ "Zola (2021)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
- ^ "Zola (2021)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
- ^ a b Feinberg, Scott (February 1, 2022). "Oscars: Six Contenders on the Challenges and Rewards of Making 2021 Indies". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
- ^ a b Davis, Clayton (November 23, 2021). "Beanie Feldstein, Regina Hall and Naomi Watts to Announce Film Independent Spirit Award Nominations (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
- ^ a b Kushner, David (November 17, 2015). "The Story Behind the Greatest Stripper Saga Ever Tweeted". Rolling Stone.
- ^ McNary, Dave (February 4, 2016). "James Franco to Direct 'Zola' Stripper Movie Based on Twitter Saga". Variety. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- ^ Harris, Hunter (January 10, 2018). "I Wonder Why James Franco's Stripper Saga Movie Is Maybe Not Happening". Vulture. Archived from the original on October 31, 2018. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- ^ Siegel, Tatiana (January 10, 2018). "How the #MeToo Movement Could Kill Some Sexy Hollywood Movies". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- ^ Sneider, Jeff (June 14, 2018). "Exclusive: A24 and James Franco's Stripper Movie 'Zola' Lands 'Lemon' Director Janicza Bravo". Collider. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- ^ Galuppo, Mia (October 9, 2018). "Taylour Paige Cast as Lead in A24's 'Zola' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
- ^ Sneider, Jeff (October 9, 2018). "Exclusive: Riley Keough, Colman Domingo Join Taylour Paige in A24's Stripper Saga 'Zola'". Collider. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- ^ N'Duka, Amanda (October 30, 2018). "Jason Mitchell Joins A24's 'Zola' Movie". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- ^ N'Duka, Amanda (November 19, 2018). "Ari'el Stachel Joins 'Zola';' Dirk Gently's Fiona Dourif Cast In 'Unsinkable'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
- ^ Byron, Katie (October 29, 2018). "Day 1 on Zola, here's a picture of @janicza in pre prep. She totally has Royal energy and I am stoked to be in her court of creative ladies 💜". Retrieved October 30, 2018 – via Instagram.
- ^ Bravo, Janicza (December 7, 2018). "Goodbye for now. Us by @kingofbingo". Retrieved December 9, 2018 – via Instagram.
- ^ Siegel, Tatiana (December 4, 2019). "Sundance Unveils Female-Powered Lineup Featuring Taylor Swift, Gloria Steinem, Abortion Road Trip Drama". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
- ^ Kay, Jeremy (January 27, 2020). "Sony takes international rights to Sundance stripper tweetstorm saga 'Zola'". Screen Daily. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
- ^ "Zola". Stage 6 Films. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
- ^ Ferme, Antonio (March 31, 2021). "'Zola': Movie Based on Viral Twitter Thread Gets First Trailer". Variety. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
- ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 3, 2021). "Universal Launches July 4th Fireworks At B.O. With Trio Of Pics Set To Gross $75M+ Combined Over Four Days". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 11, 2021). "Disney Claims $215M+ WW Victory At The B.O. & Disney+ Premier With 'Black Widow' Weekend: Will Distrib Model Endanger A Movie's Life Cycle? – Update". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 11, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
{{cite web}}
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/|archive-url=
timestamp mismatch; July 12, 2021 suggested (help) - ^ "Zola (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
- ^ "Zola Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
- ^ Miller, Shannon (June 28, 2021). "With Zola, an epic Twitter thread becomes a stylish A24 road-trip caper". The A.V. Club. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
- ^ Gleiberman, Owen (July 4, 2021). "Six Reasons Why 'Zola,' a Virtuoso Walk on the Wild Side, Is the Must-See Movie of the Summer (Column)". Variety. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
- ^ Debruge, Peter (January 24, 2020). "'Zola' Review: Janicza Bravo's Tweetstorm Tornado". Variety. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
- ^ Hurtado, Ludwig (August 6, 2021). "Are Tampa-core movies the new westerns?". The Face. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
- ^ Neglia, Matt (January 4, 2022). "The 2021 Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA) Nominations". Next Big Picture. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
- ^ Davis, Clayton (December 22, 2021). "'King Richard,' Will Smith and Tessa Thompson Win at Black Film Critics Awards 2021". Variety. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
- ^ "'The Harder They Fall' Sets Record with 20 Nominations from the Black Reel Awards". Black Girl Nerds. BGN Staff. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
- ^ Jevens, Darel (December 15, 2021). "Chicago film critics choose 'The Power of the Dog' for top award". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
- ^ "Gotham Awards 2021 Nominations: 'Pig,' 'Green Knight,' 'Passing' Compete for Best Feature". Gotham Awards. October 21, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
- ^ "History of Palm Springs International Film Festival Ceremony". www.psfilmfest.org. Retrieved 2022-01-07.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Heimlich, Rich. "2021 PFCC Annual Awards – Philadelphia Film Critics Circle". Retrieved 2022-01-07.
- ^ Patten, Dominic (December 4, 2019). "Sundance 2020: Premieres Shine With Taylor Swift Docu, Viggo Mortensen's Directing Debut, New Dee Rees, The Go-Gos & Olivia Colman". Deadline. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
External links
- Zola at IMDb
- Zola at Rotten Tomatoes
- Zola at Metacritic
- Official screenplay
- 2020 films
- 2020 biographical drama films
- 2020 black comedy films
- 2020s road comedy-drama films
- A24 (company) films
- American biographical drama films
- American films
- American road comedy-drama films
- Comedy films based on actual events
- Films about prostitution in the United States
- Films about striptease
- Films based on Internet-based works
- Films based on newspaper and magazine articles
- Films produced by Christine Vachon
- Films set in Tampa, Florida
- Films shot in Florida
- Killer Films films
- American female buddy films
- Films about rape in the United States
- 2020s female buddy films