Zoë Kravitz’s Subversive Thriller BLINK TWICE Takes You on a Twisted Vacation

Two best friends finesse their way into the inner circle of a billionaire, scoring themselves an invite to his private island. But the paradise may have a more sinister motivation. Marking the directorial debut of Zoë Kravitz, Blink Twice is a subversive psychological thriller that meticulously teases the unpredictable horrors to come.

Frida (Naomi Ackie) and her best friend Jess (Alia Shawkat) use their gig as catering staff to get close to wealthy tech entrepreneur Slater King (Channing Tatum), who recently came off an apology tour for a controversy of his. Frida is enamored with him, and he seems to be equally enamored with her.

When Slater leaves to jet off to his private island, Frida and Jess score a last-minute invite. Some of his closest friends join for the getaway with a few other ladies in tow, including Sarah (Adria Arjona) who seems poised to compete for Slater’s attention.

Once they arrive on the island, the women are showered with clothing, perfume, alcohol, and the finest foods. They partake in psychedelics at night and wake up the next morning to repeat the same lavish fun.

Frida begins to notice some odd behaviors by the island staff and after several days, Jess begins growing suspicious. But everything comes to a head when the women realize there are certain parts of this vacation that they fail to remember.

Co-written by Kravitz and E.T. Feigenbaum, Blink Twice is an alluring experience that’s ready to pounce on a tale of male toxicity and abuse. I’ll refrain from diving too deeply into the “why” to avoid spoilers, but I thought they navigated through this theme so well and while horrifying, managed to uplift the film’s other themes of female experiences.

There’s a continuous thread throughout the film that highlights jealousy and competitiveness between women. We see it between Frida and Sarah, who equally want Slater’s attention. Even the arrogant comment Frida makes when she finds a used lipgloss in her room, slighting the unknown woman it belonged to because she clearly didn’t stick around.

This constant selfish interest leads them to ignore the glaring red flags at times — especially when the object of their affection is a charming billionaire tycoon.

All that tension so beautifully culminates into the film’s third act, delivering an empowering finale and some of cinema’s best embodiment of feminine rage; with one scene fiercely set to Beyonce’s “I’m That Girl”.

Speaking of songs, the film has an unforgettable soundtrack filled with incredible selections. It seems like Kravitz pulled from her High Fidelity days to pick tracks that set the tone perfectly throughout. It’s one of the highlights of the film.

Another highlight is undoubtedly the cast. Of course, we get great performances from the aforementioned, with Tatum shining in such a well-suited departure for him. But it’s the ensemble cast made up of Haley Joel Osment, Christian Slater, Geena Davis, Liz Caribel, Trew Mullen, Simon Rex, and Levon Hawke that add a nice flare to the film, all doing an incredible job with the wittiness of the script. (I’ll almost liken it to Knives Out)

The film has a dream-like ambience that adds to that mesmerizing allure and I thought there were some interesting shot compositions throughout. It adds to the essence of the story having this seductive setting, but something is always slightly askew. I also loved the energetic editing style, done by Kathryn J. Schubert, which helps keep the viewer in this somewhat fast-paced and disorienting place — much like the experience of the women in the film.

Overall, I was just so impressed by Kravitz’s first go as a director. She held nothing back to deliver a film that had an enchanting style but was not afraid to boldly go to uncomfortable places to make a statement. Which certainly makes her a filmmaking talent to watch out for.

Do note that this film has a trigger warning for depictions of sexual violence.