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6.3/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.3/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Zou Zou remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you're into vintage star power and don't mind a story that takes about three hours to get to the point, then yes. Josephine Baker is electric here—every time she’s on screen, the movie actually has a pulse. If you need a tight, fast-paced thriller, you’ll probably hate this. It’s definitely not Miss Pinkerton in terms of procedural focus.
The plot is honestly just an excuse to get to the next musical number. Zou Zou is trying to save her friend from a murder charge, but the legal drama feels like it was written on the back of a napkin during a lunch break. It lacks the grit you might see in something like Graft.
Josephine Baker is doing a lot of heavy lifting. She’s charming, funny, and honestly makes the wooden dialogue sound better than it has any right to be. It makes me wonder if she could have saved a flatter script, maybe even something as dull as Broken Dreams.
The pacing is all over the place. One second we’re in a tense courtroom, and the next we’re watching a musical performance that feels like it’s never going to end. It’s not necessarily bad, just... strange. It feels like the director couldn't decide if they wanted to make a crime drama or a cabaret show.
The ending hits you like a truck—sudden and kind of unearned. But honestly, I was just happy to stop watching the lead actors try to look 'concerned' for the tenth time. It’s a messy, imperfect little film, but it’s got a weird charm that I didn't expect. If you want something that feels like a dusty old postcard, give it a go.
