"Swan Song" and "Zola"

I'm surprised at the good notices that have been received by "Swan Song," not because the movie itself is lacking, but because this isn't the kind of film that usually gets this kind of attention.  Written and directed by Benjamin Cleary, "Swan Song" is a science fiction film about a terminally ill man, Cameron (Mahershala Ali), who secretly clones himself in order to spare his wife Poppy (Naomie Harris) and their young son from the tragedy.  Cameron has second thoughts when the time comes to give the clone his memories, secretly insert him into his life, and say goodbye.  Glenn Close and Adam Beach play scientists, and Awkwafina plays a woman who also went through the cloning process.

"Swang Song" is an existential melodrama more than a typical genre film, carried by a strong central performance by Mahersha Ali.  It's a wonderfully humane, vulnerable performance, following Cameron's struggle to make the best decision for himself and for his loved ones.  The film itself commits to depicting his emotional journey in the most grounded terms possible, fully fleshing out Cameron's history with his loved ones, his struggle to accept his condition, and his quickly evolving relationship with his clone.  The film is so internal and so unconcerned with explaining anything to do with the creation of the clones, "Swan Song" often feels more like an allegorical piece than science fiction proper.

I think this is why I resisted its charms.  The film is a very straightforward, very charming and occasionally romantically tragic, but its characters have an odd lack of curiosity, and its approach to its subject matter is super narrowly focused.  Awkwafina is the only character allowed to be funny.  Cameron and Poppy are idealized in the extreme, living out a picture perfect life in the near-future that feels awfully contrived.  The film is entirely about Cameron's dilemma, and never considers the moral implications of the clone from any other points of view.  We don't get to see what happens if things go wrong, or really even entertain the possibility of it happening.  I think the film is fine for what it is, but its scope was too small for me to come away entirely satisfied.    

Now on to "Zola," the film that I have been trying and failing to write about for months.  It's more interesting to consider the circumstances around "Zola," and the social implications of "Zola" than the movie itself, which I can only describe as an interesting, but uncomfortable watch.  I know parts of it are meant to be funny, but none of the humor worked for me.  The movie is about the title character, played by Taylour Paige, who is a part-time stripper in Detroit.  She's cajoled into a road trip to Florida with fellow stripper Stefani (Riley Keough), her boyfriend Derek (Nicholas Braun), and her roommate X (Colman Domingo) to perform at a club.  Zola only learns that X is a pimp, and she's being shanghaied into a prostitution racket, when they're already on the road. Things only escalate from there as large amounts of money, guns, murder, and suicide come into play.  

"Zola" was based on an epic Twitter thread posted by the real Zola, and a David Kushner article profiling her, which were then adapted by Janicza Bravo and Jeremy O. Harris for the film.  It's tempting to want to dismiss the story as a group of trashy characters doing trashy things, but dig a little deeper and you quickly see how race and privilege define how the characters relate to and interact with each other.  Zola is the smartest one on the trip, but because of her status as an economically disadvantaged woman of color, she can't get away from the self-destructive, violent, and criminal behavior of those around her.  Stefani is the worst, who is absolutely willing to rope Zola into dangerous schemes by playing on her sympathy and good nature.  

I appreciate that these characters are taken on their own terms, far from polite society.  Zola's actions may seem counterintuitive until you get acclimated to the context that the events are happening in, and learn to appreciate how canny and resourceful she really is.  The filmmaking is loud and brash and rough-hewn, but it fits these characters and their outrageous, vibrant lives.  The performances are dialed up so high that I had some trouble with them at first, but Colman Domingo and Riley Keough prove especially good at balancing the humanity and the insanity of their deeply damaged characters.  I wish that I liked the movie more than I do, because I think it offers some important ideas, but the aggressive style and the uncomfortable atmosphere wore on me.  Also, the film stays a little too close to its source material - cutting off too quickly, and leaving its characters in limbo.

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