Ever read a twitter thread about a cautionary tale and thought to yourself, this would make a great movie one day? Well the wait is over, because the greatest story to come out of the micro blogging site has now been adapted to the screen in this darkly comedic second feature from Lemon director Janicza Bravo. It’s based on an infamous 148 tweet saga by Aziah “Zola” Wells and stars Taylour Paige (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom), Riley Keough (American Honey) and Nicholas Braun (Succession).

While working at a Hooters bar in Detroit, savvy black waitress Zola (Paige) meets and is slowly seduced by an impetuous young white stripper named Stefani (an exquisite turn by Keough). The two hit it off instantly, leading Stefani to invite her new friend to a weekend of stripping in Tampa Florida.

Leaving her disapproving boyfriend (Jewish actor Ari'el Stachel) behind in Detroit, Zola joins Stefani and her crew as they head for Tampa. The trip however takes a quick turn into a hellish sex trafficking nightmare involving Stefani’s violent pimp (Colman Domingo), a dead hustler and an attempted suicide.

There is so much going on in Bravo’s film that sometimes it feels as though too much has been crammed into its surprisingly short 86 minutes running time. Still Bravo has given us an undeniably engaging film which sits comfortably somewhere between fact and fiction. The film briefly, and humorously, attempts to tell the story from Stefani’s perspective, but we quickly realise that this is done more so to discredit her outlandish claims than to be taken seriously. 

Paige gives an admirable performable as Zola, but it is Keough who impresses the most in her signature bubblegum blonde delivery. Her high octane performance is coupled with a hilariously verbose mock African American vernacular which gives the impression of watching someone who doesn’t really know their true self.

Overall, this is a solid, engaging and hugely self-aware comedy. Perhaps the most admirable thing about Bravo’s adaption is her refusal to cast any judgement on the girls, choosing instead to tell Zola’s story how she herself had intended it, with streetwise sassiness and plenty of humour.