'Zola' Takes A Twitter Thread And Turns It Into A Fever Dream On Film

There are eyes, and then there are Taylour Paige's eyes.

In Zola, a crackling, absurdist road trip movie inspired by a crackling, absurdist Twitter thread, the camera's gaze is frequently drawn to the bodily form – a stripper's smooth, exposed curves; a man's languid, exposed junk; lips being painted a deep cherry red; long, slender fingernails clinking against a window.

But then there are Paige's eyes, which convey more in a shift, squint, or roll than some performers can with their entire corporeal being. Those glances, those looks, are the delectable amuse-bouche in this feast of storytelling, and a grounding presence for the viewer amidst all the madness and weirdness that ultimately unfolds.

But hold up – – allow me to back up and explain. In recounting a wild trip she took to Tampa, Fla. upon an invitation from Jessica, a white woman and fellow exotic dancer she'd known for exactly one day. The story involved a cast of indelible characters, including Jessica's pimp Z, a menacing dude who would suddenly possess an "African accent" during fits of rage, and Jessica's boyfriend Jarret, an awkward, pitiful guy who just wanted her to stop being a sex worker.