A decade ago, the independent production company A24 Films was non-existent in the world of Hollywood. Since releasing their first film in 2013 however they have certainly made their presence felt with over two dozen Academy Award nominations to date and a number of memorable titles under their belt. From psychological thrillers like Ex Machina to niche horror films like Midsommar, A24 has become a juggernaut in the film industry with the number of projects they release every year as well as the quality of said projects regardless of how atypical the subject matter may be. They have drawn inspiration from a rather unique source once again with their latest film titled Zola, based upon a Twitter thread from 2015 highlighting a mind-boggling story that centers around two exotic dancers. Now six years since the original Twitter thread made waves on the internet, A24 has released the first official trailer to Zola and it certainly sets the stage for the insanity that is to come.
Anyone who is familiar with the original Twitter thread knows how absurd the plot of Zola is; for those who are unfamiliar, you are in for a treat. The story follows two exotic dancers on a trip from Detroit to Florida who are eager to earn a living, however this trip capsizes rather quickly once they arrive in the Sunshine State. While the finer details are not even wholly appropriate to be discussed in this article, the oddities of Florida are certainly nothing new and their influence is certainly exhibited in the trailer featured below. The women at the center of the film are set to be played by Taylour Paige and Riley Keough with Colman Domingo serving as the antagonist of a story seemingly made for The Jerry Springer Show.
A24 remained relatively quiet last year as the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered movie theaters around the globe and inhibited their potential for commercial success. As the country slowly eases out of quarantine, the indie film company is seemingly hoping to make a big splash this summer with Zola. The trailer is very reminiscent of the film Spring Breakers, another A24 project set in Florida that aimed to exaggerate the insanity of the annual spring break festivities in the state. While that film was bolstered by a star-studded cast however, Zola will be more reliant upon the story it tells and it is certainly a story worth telling.
