Drumroll: this marks the first film to be based on a viral Twitter thread, and in spite of that, it’s terrific! The harp music and hall of mirrors that open this dangerous black comedy go together like an exotic dancer and the pimp who automatically assumes that turning tricks is part of her job. Zola’s (Taylour Paige, fearless) a pro — there’s a stripper’s pole in her living room — but even the most skilled among us have our off days. Ever form a fast friendship with a coworker who turns out to be an ambulatory danger zone? Not as dumb as she looks or sounds, Stefani (Riley Keough, her cadenced delivery the backwoods equivalent of a lazy eye) dangles an excursion from Detroit to Tampa for a lucrative one-nighter. One day after they meet, Zola hits the road with Stefani, her questionable roommate X (Colman Domingo), and mawkishly dissatisfied boyfriend Derrek (Nicholas Braun). Writer-director Janicza Bravo’s frenetic pace resembles a freshly-shaken snowdome, the glittery contents never allowed time to settle. What follows is a wild, at times uncomfortable ride and one that pleases me to announce has found a home outside the arthouse confines at a multiplex near you. (2021) — Scott Marks
This movie is not currently in theaters.