It's definitely got an unshakable sense of its own personality, even if it didn't speak to me directly. What surprised me most was the casual acceptance of the threat of sexual violence, either because it's part and parcel for the women depicted and they just take it in their stride, or because co-writer/director Janicza Bravo didn't have the command of the material every other element made it seem like she did, and it fell a bit tone deaf.

But if you don't know, it was all based on a viral Twitter thread detailing a road trip gone very wrong by an exotic dancer that provides the bare bones of the story.

Zola starts by asking, in her voiceover, the exact text of the first tweet by Detroit waitress A'Ziah 'Zola' King; 'Y'all wanna hear a story about why me and this bitch here fell out? It's kind of long but full of suspense.'

Zola is immediately taken in by Stefani (Riley Keough) when she serves her at her restaurant job. Stefani's an urban trash talking force of nature who comes into every conversation like a bulldozer, insisting that Zola (already a part time stripper) come with her to dance that night.

When she does and the pair get along famously, a seemingly over-the-moon Stefani invites Zola away on a road trip to Tampa where she tells her new bestie they'll dance in some very hot clubs and make bank.

In a shocking lapse of judgment, Zola agrees, getting into a Jeep with Stefani's overeager and dorky boyfriend Derreck (Nicholas Braun) and the man she describes as her roommate, X (Colman Domingo), a smooth talker who lapses into an African accent whenever the drama escalates, as Zola will soon learn.

After dropping Derreck as a fleapit motel the trio go to a club and indeed make an impressive haul. But when X then takes them to an upmarket hotel and Zola figures out Stefani is actually a hooker and X is her pimp, she discovers to her horror they've put her picture on an escort site along with Stefani's, apparently intending for her to service johns all night.

Instead of grabbing her bag and running for the cops (it's explained in one single line where X threateningly reminds her he knows where she lives, but it's still a fairly flimsy plot device to keep her in the picture), Zola hangs around, even going so far as the update Stefani's ad to raise her rates and hanging around in the room in an ill-advised attempt to protect her from further exploitation.

It's all going to go bad, which you imagine Zola's intelligent enough to realise, but it descends into ever more dangerous situations, a pad full of scary johns, a gun in her purse and – when it feels too late to back out – her and Stefani's lives in danger.

There's a sheen of it being hip and down with the kids (although references to online communication platforms will date it quickly) and the script is clever and full of urban street language the cast all appreciate and deliver perfectly, but the three act structure is fairly classic as a thriller with blackly comic elements and it's plenty fun enough while it's on.