North Texas Daily

A24 has given the world another reason to head to movie theaters. “Zola” is based on a Twitter thread from 2015 which tells the story of A’Ziah “Zola” King’s mind-boggling trip with an unlikely acquaintance. With incredible performances across the board and an artistic style anyone can appreciate, I loved every second of it. The film tells the story mostly word for word, or in this case tweet for tweet, creating one of the most suspenseful, yet entertaining, movies of the year so far. “Zola” is a must-see, and the list is endless as to why.

Taylour Paige plays Zola and is easily the best part of the film. Her narration is worth the price of admission. Every joke lands, and she can carry scenes on her back with the slightest facial expression. This is the first film I have seen Paige in, and I am fully on board to see any project she takes on in the future. Riley Keough plays the unlikely acquaintance, Stefani, who also does an unbelievable job with her role. Stefani is a character who comes off as extremely nice, but almost too nice, and then sits in the back of your mind as the film goes on. At one point, Zola literally tells the audience to watch every move Stefani makes, and you get to pick up on so many instances of symbolism throughout the film because of doing just that. The performances elevate this film to a level of perfection, and you become completely submerged in this world without even knowing it.

No studio does suspense like A24. This movie had me on the edge of my seat for the entirety of the runtime. Just when you think you have a grasp on what turn the film is going to take, the unexpected happens and your palms start to sweat once again. It just goes to show how poorly I would handle some of these high-stress situations, and I am perfectly OK with it. Every emotion is felt, and every beat hits. When the movie wants you to laugh, you will laugh, and when it wants you to realize the situation is serious, you can hear a kernel of popcorn drop in the theater.

Sometimes you go and see a movie and you just can’t put into words how it made you feel. This film has had this effect on me for the last couple of days, but I mean that as the biggest compliment in the world. The film had so much passion put into it,  and it is so nice to have movies like “Zola” back in the theaters again. The theater may not be filled when you watch it, but every person in the theater is going to be in for an intense ride. Movies like this never have the biggest numbers at the box office, but they always leave the biggest impacts on viewers, and that is what makes “Zola” great.

When the movie ends, your jaw is on the ground and there are simply no words to describe what you just watched. There are so many ways a movie like this could end, and while it may not have ended like the famous Twitter thread, you can see why they decided to take it in a different direction. To make sure the audience was going to be caught off guard if they happened to be familiar with the Twitter thread, but also because the ending is completely out of nowhere. It perfectly translates what the entire tone of the movie was, and it was an ending I will never forget. Spoilers are something I try and stay away from, so it is so hard to fully talk about this movie. I normally recommend movies at the end of my reviews, but I could not recommend going to see this one any more than I already have. Take a huge group of friends to see this and watch as it becomes a night out you will never forget.

Final Rating: 4.75/5

Courtesy Netflix