Zola

There is a specific type of energy that only exists on the timeline; a mix of voyeurism, "can you believe this?", and the dread of a thread evolving into madness. Janicza Bravo's 'Zola' (2020) digitizes this moment for the masses so you can practically feel the haptic feedback in your seat, it is almost like you are watching the original twitter threat unfold. Seeing the drama from 2015 translated made me feel trapped in a neon-lit nightmare but I just could not turn it off.

The sound design this film presents shows the creativity and brilliance of the team working on this film as well as their dedication to reminding you of where the source material came from. Everytime a "ping" is heard, it reminds us that Zola (Taylour Paige) is crafting the narrative in real time. Not only is she living the weekend, she is telling us as it happens. It begs the question: how much of our lives are we living just so we can post about it later? Hearing a "ping" represents another aspect of the story being told to the audience known as Twitter users, could not ask for a worse audience.

Let's talk about the sides. Riley Keough as Stefani is a LOT, not to mention we are watching the granddaughter of Elvis, but that is off topic. Stefani is a walking, talking appropriation of culture, she creates humor with a sense of something sinister. Watching her bounce off of Zola felt like watching a car crash in slow motion where one driver is screaming and the other is just trying to find the exit. And to top it all off, there is nothing you can do but sit there in shock.

Colman Domingo's performance as X helps pinpoint the exact moment the movie stops being a comedy and starts being a horror movie. He shifts from Stefani's so called "roommate" to a genuine threat in a single frame. It becomes so crazy I nearly forget this was someone's actual experience. The humor of Stefani's clingy dumb boyfriend and other bizaare moments crashes with the horror of being fooled into a sex trafficking scheme. Really, Colman and Riley's characters provide an example for how easy it is to get pulled into the wrong scene.

What's the verdict? Zola was the only way to enter the 2020s that stays in your mind forever. It understands that the truth is whoever has the best POV. Not only is it short, jagged, and ends as abruptly as closing an app, but it also has beautiful visuals, convincing performances, and creative details. Bravo managed to turn a Twitter story into an actual film, and for that, she deserves all awards ever. Go for the aesthetics, stay for the crushing story of people not being who they present themselves as.