❝What the fuck is wrong with you? This is messy! You are messy! Your brain is broke! Have fun, be safe, wear condoms.❞
۫ ׅ ⊹₊˚‧ ︵‿ ₊ ୨ ᰔ ୧ ₊ ‿︵ ‧˚₊⊹ ׅ ۫
I had no idea what to expect before watching this film, because for some reason I didn't read the plot synopsis, and I wasn't aware of the original Twitter thread. I'm happy to report that despite it only being a few days into 2026, Zola is one of my favourite films watched this year.
For one, the cinematography was absolutely beautiful; I loved the dreamy, surreal style mixed with the gritty realism that came with using 16mm film, and I really appreciated that the typical patriarchal gaze that accompanies films about sex workers was subverted by focusing on the male clients during sex scenes rather than on the girls, especially since a lot of those shots revealed their weird bodies, as well as showing them in unflattering positions.
Moving on to the cast, Taylour Paige and Riley Keough were brilliant as Zola and Stefani respectively, the former becoming likeable almost instantly for being the only sane person in that crew versus the latter who was the human embodiment of a train-wreck.
I'll watch anything with Colman Domingo (🫶), and yet again he played his role perfectly, switching from easy-going to menacing at breakneck speed.
All in all, I had a blast watching Zola, and if you haven't seen it yet, I'd highly recommend giving it a go. I absolutely have to read the OG thread now.
❝What the fuck is wrong with you? This is messy! You are messy! Your brain is broke! Have fun, be safe, wear condoms.❞
۫ ׅ ⊹₊˚‧ ︵‿ ₊ ୨ ᰔ ୧ ₊ ‿︵ ‧˚₊⊹ ׅ ۫
I had no idea what to expect before watching this film, because for some reason I didn't read the plot synopsis, and I wasn't aware of the original Twitter thread. I'm happy to report that despite it only being a few days into 2026, Zola is one of my favourite films watched this year.
For one, the cinematography was absolutely beautiful; I loved the dreamy, surreal style mixed with the gritty realism that came with using 16mm film, and I really appreciated that the typical patriarchal gaze that accompanies films about sex workers was subverted by focusing on the male clients during sex scenes rather than on the girls, especially since a lot of those shots revealed their weird bodies, as well as showing them in unflattering positions.
Moving on to the cast, Taylour Paige and Riley Keough were brilliant as Zola and Stefani respectively, the former becoming likeable almost instantly for being the only sane person in that crew versus the latter who was the human embodiment of a train-wreck.
I'll watch anything with Colman Domingo (🫶), and yet again he played his role perfectly, switching from easy-going to menacing at breakneck speed.
All in all, I had a blast watching Zola, and if you haven't seen it yet, I'd highly recommend giving it a go. I absolutely have to read the OG thread now.
