The Big Picture

Kravitz’s debut offers some refreshing twists on the #MeToo thriller, diving deeply into a specific aspect of patriarchal oppression.
The film has issues with pacing and struggles to find a unique identity.
The movie is at its best when it fully leans into its dark premise.

Greta Gerwig. Emerald Fennell. Jordan Peele. It’s always fascinating to see actors turn their attention to writing and directing. Not only do they already have a unique and intimate understanding of filmmaking, but oftentimes, their experiences in the industry itself influence the kind of projects they make. This is true of Zoë Kravitz’s debut, Blink Twice, as she’s said her experience growing up in rooms filled with powerful people — as well as the industry’s #MeToo movement — inspired this story. While her first outing as a writer-director is a mixed bag, Kravitz shows undeniable potential to join the ranks of performers who are equally exciting behind the camera as in front of it.

Blink Twice When tech billionaire Slater King meets cocktail waitress Frida at his fundraising gala, he invites her to join him and his friends on a dream vacation on his private island. As strange things start to happen, Frida questions her reality.Release Date August 23, 2024 Cast Naomi Ackie , Channing Tatum , Christian Slater , Simon Rex , Adria Arjona , Kyle MacLachlan , Haley Joel Osment , Geena Davis , Alia Shawkat , Levon Hawke , Trew Mullen , Saul Williams , Liz Caribel Sierra , Cris Costa , Julian Sedgwick Runtime 102 Minutes Expand

What Is ‘Blink Twice’ About?

Blink Twice begins with our protagonist, Frida (Naomi Ackie), relatably scrolling through videos on her phone when she comes across an interview of tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) apologizing for past transgressions and committing to becoming a better person. The way he plans to do that, he says, is by spending time on an island he bought, going to therapy, and working on self-improvement there.

Frida and Slater quickly hit it off while she and her friend Jess (Alia Shawkat) are working as waiters at one of his lavish events, culminating in him extending an invitation to said private island along with a group consisting of a Survivor-style reality show alum named Sarah (Adria Arjona), two other model-esque women named Camilla (Liz Caribel) and Heather (Trew Mullen), and party bros Cody (Simon Rex), Tom (Haley Joel Osment), and Lucas (Levon Hawke). With bottomless champagne, expensive perfume in their bathrooms, and lazy days spent by the pool, it seems too good to be true — and it is. What originally seemed like paradise proves itself to be anything but, and Frida and Jess must attempt to unravel the conspiracy and piece together what’s really going on before it’s too late.

‘Blink Twice’ Has a Pacing Problem
Image via Amazon MGM

Blink Twice is full of gorgeous shots, with Adam Newport-Berra’s cinematography giving the setting an immersive and utopian vibe. It’s a visual vacation, the shots of the delicious dinners a feast for the eyes as much as the characters’ stomachs. At a point, however, even the most gorgeous images start to get repetitive. While part of the Groundhog Day feel is undoubtedly intentional, we spend an unnecessarily long time in the establishing honeymoon phase, making the first half of the film drag. The main foreshadowing that things may not be as they seem comes in the form of the island workers repeating ominous phrases that Frida can’t understand — a plot device that’s convenient and cliché at this point.

When things do take a turn, it’s abrupt, lacking buildup that would make for a smoother, more natural elevation of the stakes. The film half of the film hinges on the friendship between Frida and Jess, but that dynamic seems all but dropped after a bombshell moment and doesn’t have a satisfying resolution afterward. The very ending, too — one that acts as an epilogue of sorts — is unearned. Though the boldness of the twist is admirable, not enough seeds are planted to justify it, coming off as rushed and gimmicky as it stands.

But while the film doesn’t stick the landing and has a bit of a bumpy road to get to its tense climax and shocking revelations, when we do start diving into that section, we’re all in. Kravitz isn’t afraid to go dark — really dark — and the film’s all the better for it. She manages to create truly sickening, depraved beats of horror while being careful to never show too much or linger too long so that it veers into exploitative or gratuitous territory — not an easy line to walk when you’re working with subject matter like this. Kravitz does a good job making you laugh with the satirical aspects, but she’s exceptional when it comes to making you squirm with the scary side of things, evoking rapid heartbeats and sweaty palms as she builds a suffocating sense of anticipation and uncertainty.

‘Blink Twice’ Feels Like a Collage of Other Films — With a Small Twist
Image via Amazon MGM

Blink Twice struggles to find its own identity, as about a dozen comp films cropped up in my mind throughout its 103-minute runtime. There are shades of psychological thrillers about being trapped a la Get Out and Don’t Worry Darling, female revenge movies like Ready or Not and Promising Young Woman, and class satires in the vein of Glass Onion and Triangle of Sadness. Because of that, it never feels wholly original or revolutionary. Its central themes of patriarchal oppression and rape culture have been covered before in countless projects in more unique ways.

However, Blink Twice does contribute something somewhat new to the conversation by choosing to focus on a surprising aspect of this topic. The film gets specific by exploring fawning as a defense mechanism and the special kind of hell it is to be forced into using it. “Men are afraid that women will laugh at them,” Margaret Atwood famously said. “Women are afraid that men will kill them.” Blink Twice takes this to the extreme, magnifying the everyday circumstances women find themselves in — smiling back at creepy men on the street so they don’t retaliate with a knife to the throat, giving out a fake number so you don’t get stalked, forcing a chuckle when you’re told an inappropriate joke so hurt feelings don’t escalate into violence.

‘Blink Twice’ Features a Bevy of Excellent Performances
Image via Amazon MGM

Ackie and Arjona are phenomenal at playing the aforementioned conflict of emotions, portraying a false sense of exuberant bliss on the outside with palpable terror simmering right underneath the surface, threatening to break free. The more panicked they become, the more calm, cool, and collected they have to act — an incredible challenge they each rise to and, at times, even exceed.

The entire ensemble is given their moments to shine, but Tatum and Geena Davis emerge as the other two standouts. Tatum uses the natural charm that’s served him in many a romance film to his twisted advantage here, easily pulling us in even when we suspect something more sinister might be involved. It’s a delight to see Davis show off her comedic chops, as she gets some of the biggest laughs as the overworked right-hand-woman to Slater’s highly particular whims. She also adds interesting depth and perspective once things start going off the rails in an Aunt Lydia-type role.

Blink Twice might not break entirely new ground, but it does offer a slightly different perspective on the sun-soaked, well-worn path it trods. While the pacing could be improved and the final moments aren’t altogether consistent with what it sets up, the majority of the bold, anxiety-inducing third act and an array of compelling performances can make you forgive it. It’s not a perfect debut for Kravitz, but it’s an intriguing one to be sure. I look forward to seeing her grow and refine her talents to tell the other stories she must have up her sleeve.

Blink Twice Zoë Kravitz’s debut struggles with pacing but provides some refreshing twists on the #MeToo thriller.ProsThe film is genuinely terrifying when it fully leans into its dark premise, diving into lesser-explored elements of patriarchal oppression.Ackie, Arjona, Tatum, and Davis give compelling and layered performances, with their comedic chops offering some welcomed levity.The cinematography is gorgeous and immersive throughout. ConsThe movie struggles with pacing, with the first half dragging and the ending too abrupt.It calls to mind a myriad of other films, never feeling wholly original.

Blink Twice comes to theaters in the U.S. starting August 23. Click below for showtimes near you.

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