Zola (film)

A'Ziah "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 they become friends. 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 they can make significant money. Zola sets out for Tampa with Stefani, her mysterious roommate X, and Stefani's dimwitted boyfriend Derrek.

On 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. They perform but do not get nearly as much as Stefani insisted they would. Zola learns that Stefani and X have posted photos of her and Stefani in a Backpage advertisement, offering them for sex. Zola tries to leave, but X threatens her, revealing himself to be Stefani's pimp.

X takes the women to an upscale hotel, where Stefani proceeds to have sex with a male client. Zola, who doesn't wish to participate, is incredulous when she learns X charges only $150 per client. Zola edits the Backpage ad, 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 told Dion 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. When they knock on the client's door, he grabs Stefani and forces her 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 to rob Stefani of her earnings. At gunpoint, X offers the men $50,000 and 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 and then shoots Dion in the throat. They flee the hotel, throwing Dion's guns into the Tampa Bay.

They eventually arrive at a large, luxurious home X shares with Baybe. X finally lets Zola leave and proclaims his possession of Stefani. Distraught, Derrek throws himself over a balcony, landing on the concrete below and injuring his head. Zola, Stefani, and X drive Derrek to the hospital. On the way, Stefani proclaims her love for Zola, but the exhausted Zola looks out the window and ignores her.

{{Cast list|

• 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

}}

In October 2015, Detroit waitress A'Ziah "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.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/zola-tells-all-the-real-story-behind-the-greatest-stripper-saga-ever-tweeted-73048/|title=The Story Behind the Greatest Stripper Saga Ever Tweeted|first=David|last=Kushner|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=November 17, 2015}} About a month later, Rolling Stone{{'}}s David Kushner published an article interviewing people involved in the story; while the article noted several inconsistencies, and King has admitted to embellishing some of the more sensational details, most of those involved have admitted to the general events.

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 were to produce the film under their Rabbit Bandini Productions, Killer Films and Gigi Films banners, respectively.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2016/film/news/james-franco-direct-zola-stripper-saga-1201697548/|title=James Franco to Direct 'Zola' Stripper Movie Based on Twitter Saga|website=Variety|first=Dave|last=McNary|date=February 4, 2016|access-date=October 30, 2018}} In January 2018, it was announced that the film was initially set to begin production in February 2018, but was shelved following sexual misconduct allegations against Franco.{{cite web|url=http://www.vulture.com/2018/01/james-franco-zola-story-stripper-saga-movie-is-maybe-not-happening.html|title=I Wonder Why James Franco's Stripper Saga Movie Is Maybe Not Happening|website=Vulture|first=Hunter|last=Harris|date=January 10, 2018|access-date=October 30, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181031005235/http://www.vulture.com/2018/01/james-franco-zola-story-stripper-saga-movie-is-maybe-not-happening.html|archive-date=October 31, 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/how-metoo-movement-could-kill-some-sexy-hollywood-movies-1073212|title=How the #MeToo Movement Could Kill Some Sexy Hollywood Movies|website=The Hollywood Reporter|first=Tatiana|last=Siegel|date=January 10, 2018|access-date=October 30, 2018}} In June 2018, it was announced that Janicza Bravo would direct, replacing Franco, and that A24 would distribute.{{cite web|url=http://collider.com/zola-stripper-movie-janicza-bravo-a24/|title=Exclusive: A24 and James Franco's Stripper Movie 'Zola' Lands 'Lemon' Director Janicza Bravo|website=Collider|first=Jeff|last=Sneider|date=June 14, 2018|access-date=October 30, 2018}} In October 2018, Taylour Paige was cast in the lead role.{{cite news |last=Galuppo |first=Mia |title=Taylour Paige Cast as Lead in A24's 'Zola' (Exclusive) |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/taylour-paige-cast-a24s-zola-1131695 |access-date=October 10, 2018 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=October 9, 2018 |language=en}} That month, Riley Keough, Nicholas Braun, Colman Domingo and Jason Mitchell joined the cast,{{cite web|url=http://collider.com/zola-movie-riley-keough-colman-domingo/|title=Exclusive: Riley Keough, Colman Domingo Join Taylour Paige in A24's Stripper Saga 'Zola'|website=Collider|first=Jeff|last=Sneider|date=October 9, 2018|access-date=October 30, 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2018/10/jason-mitchell-a24-zola-movie-janicza-bravo-1202492431/|title=Jason Mitchell Joins A24's 'Zola' Movie|website=Deadline Hollywood|first=Amanda|last=N'Duka|date=October 30, 2018|access-date=October 30, 2018}} and in November 2018, Ari'el Stachel joined the cast.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2018/11/ariel-stachel-zola-dirk-gentlys-fiona-dourif-unsinkable-1202504896/|title=Ari'el Stachel Joins 'Zola';' Dirk Gently's Fiona Dourif Cast In 'Unsinkable'|website=Deadline Hollywood|first=Amanda|last=N'Duka|date=November 19, 2018|access-date=November 20, 2018}}

Principal photography began on October 29, 2018.{{cite web|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/BpibaxuA_LH/|title=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 💜|first=Katie|last=Byron|date=October 29, 2018|access-date=October 30, 2018|via=Instagram}} The entire film was shot in 27 days. Production concluded on December 7, 2018.{{cite web|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/BrFnyCSgM6_/|title=Goodbye for now. Us by @kingofbingo|first=Janicza|last=Bravo|date=December 7, 2018|access-date=December 9, 2018|via=Instagram}}

{{Main|Zola (soundtrack)}}

The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2020, where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Awards pre-screening.{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sundance-2020-unveils-female-powered-lineup-taylor-swift-gloria-steinem-films-1259538?|title=Sundance Unveils Female-Powered Lineup Featuring Taylor Swift, Gloria Steinem, Abortion Road Trip Drama|website=The Hollywood Reporter|first=Tatiana|last=Siegel|date=December 4, 2019|access-date=December 4, 2019}} Sony Pictures Releasing, under the Stage 6 Films banner, acquired the international rights (excluding Canada and Japan).{{cite web|last=Kay|first=Jeremy|title=Sony takes international rights to Sundance stripper tweetstorm saga 'Zola'|url=https://www.screendaily.com/news/sony-takes-international-rights-to-sundance-stripper-tweetstorm-saga-zola/5146591.article|website=Screen Daily|access-date=January 27, 2020|date=January 27, 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://www.stage6films.com/movies/zola|title=Zola|website=Stage 6 Films|access-date=March 16, 2020}} It was released in the United States on June 30, 2021.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2021/film/news/zola-trailer-a24-twitter-thread-1234941114/|title='Zola': Movie Based on Viral Twitter Thread Gets First Trailer|website=Variety|first=Antonio|last=Ferme|date=March 31, 2021|access-date=July 5, 2021}}

In the United States and Canada, Zola was projected to gross $2–4 million from 1,468 theaters in its opening weekend.{{cite news | last=D'Alessandro | first=Anthony | url= https://deadline.com/2021/06/f9-boss-baby-family-business-forever-purge-universal-owns-july-4th-weekend-box-office-1234783750/ | title= Universal Will Own Top Three Spots At July 4th Box Office In Rare Feat| date=June 29, 2021 | work=Deadline Hollywood | accessdate=June 29, 2021}} It 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.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2021/07/boss-baby-family-business-forever-purge-f9-box-office-weekend-july-4th-1234785567/|title= Universal Launches July 4th Fireworks At B.O. With Trio Of Pics Set To Gross $75M+ Combined Over Four Days |date=July 3, 2021|first=Anthony|last=D'Alessandro|website=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=July 4, 2021}} It fell 48% to $620,000 in its second weekend, finishing 10th.{{Cite web |last=D'Alessandro |first=Anthony |date=July 11, 2021 |title=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 |url=https://deadline.com/2021/07/black-widow-opening-weekend-box-office-1234789473/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210712151518/https://deadline.com/2021/07/black-widow-opening-weekend-box-office-1234789473/ |archive-date=July 12, 2021 |access-date=July 11, 2021 |website=Deadline Hollywood}}

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 88% based on 252 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10. 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."{{Cite Rotten Tomatoes|id={{RT data|rtid|noprefix=y}}|type=m|title=Zola (2020)|access-date={{RT data|access date}}}} On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 76 out of 100, based on 46 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".{{Cite Metacritic|id=zola|type=movie|title=Zola|access-date=July 19, 2021}} PostTrak reported that 68% of audience members gave Zola positive score, with 46% saying they would definitely recommend it.

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."{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/with-zola-an-epic-twitter-thread-becomes-a-stylish-a24-1847186959|title=With Zola, an epic Twitter thread becomes a stylish A24 road-trip caper|last=Miller|first=Shannon|date=June 28, 2021|website=The A.V. Club|access-date=July 4, 2021}} 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."{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2021/film/columns/zola-must-see-movie-of-the-summer-janicza-bravo-taylour-paige-riley-keough-1235011296|title=Six Reasons Why 'Zola,' a Virtuoso Walk on the Wild Side, Is the Must-See Movie of the Summer (Column)|last=Gleiberman|first=Owen|author-link=Owen Gleiberman|date=July 4, 2021|website=Variety|access-date=July 5, 2021}}

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."{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2020/film/reviews/zola-review-1203478298/|title='Zola' Review: Janicza Bravo's Tweetstorm Tornado|last=Debruge|first=Peter|date=January 24, 2020|website=Variety|access-date=July 4, 2021}}

Writing for The Face, Ludwig Hurtado said the film was a canonical part of a genre he named "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.{{Cite web |last=Hurtado |first=Ludwig |date=2021-08-06 |title=Are Tampa-core movies the new westerns? |url=https://theface.com/culture/zola-film-twitter-spring-breakers-a24-florida-taylour-paige-tampa-core-western-movies |access-date=2023-10-12 |website=The Face |language=en-gb}}

In 2021, Zola was nominated for seven Independent Spirit Awards, including Best Screenplay.{{Cite web |last=Rice |first=Nicholas |date=January 31, 2022 |title=Real-Life Zola Aziah King Calls Out A24 for Awards Show Snub: 'No One Thought to Invite Me' |url=https://people.com/movies/real-life-zola-calls-out-a24-for-not-inviting-her-to-i/ |access-date=2023-08-04 |website=Peoplemag |language=en}} A'Ziah "Zola" King was not nominated as a writer for the movie, nor was she invited to attend. King was frustrated by this snub, writing on Twitter, "I think it's hilarious ZOLA is up for 7 awards and no one thought to invite me nor include me IN the writers award category. As if there would've been a film or a script to write if I didn't um… write it?" She said that her issue was only with A24, as writers Harris and Bravo had been very supportive to her.

{{Reflist}}

• {{IMDb title}}
• {{Metacritic film}}
• {{Rotten Tomatoes}}
• [https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Zola-Read-The-Screenplay-1.pdf Official screenplay]

{{Janicza Bravo}}

{{Black Reel Award for Outstanding Independent Film}}

Category:2020 films

Category:2020 biographical drama films

Category:2020 black comedy films

Category:2020 independent films

Category:2020s American films

Category:2020s buddy comedy-drama films

Category:2020s English-language films

Category:2020s female buddy films

Category:2020s road comedy-drama films

Category:A24 (company) films

Category:American biographical drama films

Category:American buddy comedy-drama films

Category:American female buddy films

Category:American independent films

Category:American road comedy-drama films

Category:Comedy-drama films based on actual events

Category:English-language biographical drama films

Category:English-language black comedy films

Category:English-language buddy comedy-drama films

Category:English-language independent films

Category:English-language road comedy-drama films

Category:Films about prostitution in the United States

Category:Films about rape in the United States

Category:Films about social media

Category:Films about strippers

Category:Films about striptease

Category:Films based on Internet-based works

Category:Films based on newspaper and magazine articles

Category:Films produced by Christine Vachon

Category:Films scored by Mica Levi

Category:Films set in Tampa, Florida

Category:Films shot in 16 mm film

Category:Films shot in Florida

Category:Killer Films films