“You wanna hear a story about why me & this bitch here fell out? It’s kind of long but full of suspense.”
Zola (Taylour Paige) meets Stefani (Riley Keough) at a restaurant where Zola waitresses, and the two immediately click over pole dancing. Only a day after they exchange numbers, Stefani invites Zola on a cross-country road trip, where the goal is to make as much money as possible dancing in Florida strip clubs. Zola agrees, and suddenly she is trapped in the craziest, most unexpected trip of her life.
Janicza Bravo (Lemon, 2017 Sundance Film Festival) returns to the Festival with this outrageously unique and eccentrically animated saga that was first chronicled in 144 tweets posted by A’ziah King on October 27, 2015. Written by Bravo and playwright Jeremy O. Harris, Zola frames the protagonist’s narrative in a groundbreaking exchange that plays with and questions perspective. Bravo’s luscious atmosphere and impeccable attention to detail is unequaled and further confirms the sophomore director as a visionary voice of American independent cinema.
Zola (stylized as @zola) is a 2020 American black comedy crime film based on a viral Twitter thread 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. Directed by Janicza Bravo, from a screenplay by Bravo and Jeremy O. Harris, 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. The film received generally positive reviews from critics.
About the Story
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 affronted when she learns that X is charging only $150 for each sexual encounter Stefani has. Zola edits the Backpage advertisement 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 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 friend 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.
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.[16] Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions and Stage 6 Films acquired the international rights (excluding Canada and Japan) to the film. It was released in the United States on June 30, 2021.
In the United States and Canada, Zola was projected to gross $2–4 million from 1,468 theaters in its opening weekend. 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. The film fell 48% to $620,000 in its second weekend, finishing in 10th.
Zola (2021)
Directed by: Janicza Bravo
Starring: Taylour Paige, Riley Keough, Nicholas Braun, Ari’el Stachel, Colman Domingo, Jason Mitchell, Ts Madison, Nelcie Souffrant, Nasir Rahim, Sophie Hall, Jarquale Stewart
Screenplay by: Janicza Bravo, Jeremy O. Harris
Production Design by: Katie Byron
Cinematography by: Ari Wegner
Film Editing by: Joi McMillon
Costume Design by: Derica Cole Washington
Set Decoration by: Ruston Head
Art Direction by: Mary Florence Brown, Stephen I. Erdberg
Music by: Mica Levi
MPAA Rating: R for strong sexual content and language throughout, graphic nudity, and violence including a sexual assault.
Distributed by: A24 Films
Release Date: June 30, 2021
Visits: 27
