Blink Twice (2024) Review!!

Synopsis – Frida is a young waitress in Los Angeles who has her eye on tech entrepreneur Slater King. On a dream vacation to his private island, strange things start to happen. Frida will have to uncover the truth if she wants to make it out alive.

My Take – By turning her attention from onscreen appearances to writing and directing, Zoë Kravitz, a considerably young actress who rose to prominence in the last few years following her roles in The Batman (2022), Kimi (2022), and the HBO series “Big Little Lies“, joins the growing list of actresses, which includes the likes of Greta Gerwig, Emerald Fennell, Elizabeth Banks and Regina King, who use their experiences in the industry itself to influence the kind of projects they make.

Honestly, I had no idea what to expect from the feature as much of the discourse surrounding the film had to do with the original title being Pussy Island (which was changed after feedback indicated some women were offended) and that Kravitz is now engaged to the lead star of the film, Channing Tatum.

But thankfully this one turned out to be one of those surprises of the season that left me enamored by much of what director Kravitz and co-writer E.T. Feigenbaum executed here. Using shades of the industry’s #MeToo movement and Epstein’s island as a genre inspiration, the resulting film is both gripping and horrifying as well as genuinely amusing as it lays through its pertinent message about patriarchy, wealth exploitation, and power dynamics between genders.

Sure, it’s not all perfect. As Kravitz’s directorial debut is a bit too reminiscent of well-known psychological social thrillers like Get Out (2017), Promising Young Woman (2020), and Don’t Worry Darling (2022). Also, some might find the way the story unfolds to be a bit too simplistic.

Nevertheless, the intriguing characters and atmospheric setting ensures the experience is hugely captivating from start to finish. The tension and dark humor keep you engaged, emphasizing a tone of naturalness in the face of all the events that greatly adds to the construction of uncertainty and fear created by Zoë Kravitz.

The story follows Frida (Naomi Ackie), a cocktail waitress severely infatuated with tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum), who is not only rich, handsome, and painfully out of her league, but also has a problematic reputation. King has recently returned to the public eye after an unspecified scandal prompted him to seek a public apology and retreat to his private island for therapy and contrition to generally become a better person.

But regardless of what he’s done, Frida is determined to enter his orbit and sets in motion a pursuit that will change her life. After conscripting her best friend/roommate Jess (Alia Shawkat) into a scheme that has them cater-waitering at a King fundraiser, which ultimately culminates in him extending an invitation to the said private island.

Joining them are 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 Vic (Christian Slater), 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. That is until, what originally seemed like paradise proves itself to be anything but, as Frida finds herself unraveling a conspiracy and piece together what’s really going on before it’s too late.

What follows is a fever dream of fine dining, pool days, drugs, chickens, shots, adventures, love, hate, lip gloss, night runs, snakes and ultimately a mysterious disappearance that helps the 102 minute runtime fly by. Suffice to say nothing that happens in the film is exactly as it seems. Here, director Kravitz is extremely careful about how much information gets doled out and when, in order to make the growing paranoia and eventual escalation of horrors much more effective.

Without giving too much away, because this is a spoiler sensitive film, Frida eventually comes to understand what is happening and the film shifts from a seemingly light-hearted romantic escape to a disturbing psychological horror escape.

And this is the turning point within the film when the incongruous time jumps take on much greater meaning because we suddenly understand the temporal shifts, the strange physical incongruities, and the telltale signs of violence dressed up as clumsy accidents during the evening parties.

The realization of what is happening is devastating and terrifying, sending the film into an all-new direction that is laced with violence. It’s all cleverly done and leads to more than one twist that plays out before the final credits roll. Sure, the biggest of these surprises is more predictable, but some of the smaller things that begin to reveal themselves in the third act are what keep us roped in.

Although the film is a psychological thriller, director Kravitz manages to blend the genre with a lot of humor. There are several moments in the film that will surely shock many viewers, especially with the way they come out of nowhere, and the fact that they are flanked by humorous scenes on both sides is quite unusual.

Yes, the narrative, even though well-orchestrated, is not mind-blowing. Still, as her first work as a director, Zoë Kravitz manages to create a captivating sensory experience dominated by tension through sound and editing.

Performances wise, Naomi Ackie manages to carry the film in an amazing way, with a captivating, impressive, and very charismatic turn. Channing Tatum‘s creepiness is top-notch, this aloof and yet calming tone that holds elements of something brewing, but yet holds the promise that there is something more.

Adria Arjona brings a magnetic, full-throated performance. She’s excellent especially when the giddily cathartic violence begins. I also quite enjoyed Alia Shawkat‘s performance as the best friend, the silliness balanced with the skepticism that the role requires.

Christian Slater, Simon Rex, Levon Hawke, and Haley Joel Osment represent particularly affluent tech bros superbly. In supporting turns, Cris Costa, Liz Caribel, Saul Williams and Trew Mullen are good.

However, veterans Kyle MacLachlan and Geena Davis are under served in roles that amount to extended cameo appearances. On the whole, ‘Blink Twice’ is a top-notch thriller that skillfully blends elements of horror and comedy, marking a great way to start Zoë Kravitz‘s directorial career.