Over the course of the 2010s, Zoë Kravitz’s star steadily rose. With a mix of indies and blockbusters in her filmography, she has garnered some considerable acclaim as an actress. With her role in 2022’s The Batman, it seemed like she was reaching a new level in her career which would open the door to even bigger opportunities. While she hasn’t appeared in any films since then, she has been keeping busy with her directorial debut, Blink Twice. This has been a long gestating project for Kravitz, as she began writing the script back in 2017, and she is clearly passionate about the film. Functioning as a thriller with elements of satire and horror, the film explores power dynamics, specifically regarding men and women, as well as domestic abuse and cancel culture. It certainly sets its sights on making some strong social commentary, but unfortunately much of what it is trying to say feels shallow and half-baked. It redeems itself somewhat through Kravitz’s direction, which shows she has a rather keen eye for filmmaking. But the film’s narrative is too hollow to make an impact, and it squanders much of its potential.
Frida (Naomi Ackie) works as a cocktail waitress and is an aspiring nail artist on the side. She and her friend Jess (Alia Shawkat) work an event celebrating billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum), a tech mogul who recently stepped down as CEO of his company in the wake of controversy. After a chance encounter with him, Frida and Jess are invited to go to his private island with some of his friends and colleagues. The two accept, and are enchanted by the beauty of the island, as well its luxurious amenities. It seems like paradise at first, but soon Frida senses that something isn’t right. She begins to investigate, and uncovers the dark and sinister secrets that the island holds.
The film’s basic premise lays the groundwork for some potent commentary on abuse, cancel culture, and trauma, but it does little beyond this. It gets so wrapped up in the mystique of its story that much of the other aspects of the script feel neglected. Admittedly, the film’s twisty nature is one of the better things about it, even if parts of it are a bit predictable. I found myself pretty invested, and was actually kind of shocked with one specific twist near the film’s end. However, it never seems to go beyond the surface-level when it comes to its larger themes, which takes away some of the power this film could have had. I couldn’t help but get the impression that the film thinks it is smarter than it is, as its observations are facile and broad. I get what the film is going for, and it is somewhat successful in making some of its points, but I just wish it would have put a little more effort into making them.
It doesn’t help that the film’s characters are so thinly written that it makes it hard to connect with any of them. Perhaps the worst offender is the protagonist, Frida. We learn shockingly little about her over the course of the film, and she comes across so one-dimensional. It could be argued that she’s a bit of an audience surrogate, but that doesn’t excuse things. The only key details we really get about her in the film is that she is a waitress and a nail artist, and that she is attracted to Channing Tatum’s character. While each of these play into the plot, it is a little frustrating that we don’t know much else about Frida. This is only magnified by the film’s ending, which feels unearned and like Kravitz and co-writer E.T. Feigenbaum didn’t know how to end this thing. The final moment may seem satisfying on its face, but when you begin to think deeply on it, it feels so hollow and underlines how underdeveloped the character of Frida is.
What the film lacks in substance, it makes up for in style. Zoë Kravitz almost instantly shows she has the goods as a director, as the film’s visuals are incredibly striking. There is some solid cinematography from Adam Newport-Berra, utilizing color beautifully and giving the film a nice sheen that contrasts with its darker aspects. Not to mention that he uses close-ups and longer takes quite effectively as well. A particular sequence that was filmed in one take absolutely floored me, as it is absolutely horrific and hard to watch, yet shot so impeccably. Newport-Berra’s camerawork often gives the film a disorienting feel, which fits in well with the environment that Kravitz is cultivating. She highlights the beauty of the island, allowing the viewer to get comfortable before hitting them with some seriously disturbing imagery and subject matter. Some of the film’s visual storytelling shows that Kravitz has a good understanding of the language of film, and has me curious what else she might have up her sleeve. The film may struggle on a script level, but Kravitz’s direction helps pick up a ton of the slack here.
The film also benefits from a talented ensemble, although many of the players feel a bit underused. Naomi Ackie is able to breathe a little life into the character of Frida, but it’s not enough to fully redeem the character. She’s perfectly fine, but there wasn’t too much to her performance that particularly wowed me. Channing Tatum, on the other hand, really impressed me. He plays against type, allowing a darker presence to inhabit him in the film. He gets the opportunity to really let loose in the third act, and he runs with it. He comes across as unreliable, even a little scary at times, and I’d argue that this is one of his better performances. I also was especially struck by Adria Arjona’s performance as Sarah, another guest on the island. Arjona first came across my radar earlier this year with her excellent work in Richard Linklater’s Hit Man, and her work here further shows her talent. She’s the one that popped the most for me out of the entire cast, showing a strong presence and pulling off some of the film’s best moments. She feels the most in tune with what the film is trying to be, and she grabbed my attention every time she showed up on screen. I also want to shout out Geena Davis, who is so good in this film as Slater’s assistant, Stacy. It is a role that seems thankless at first, but Davis adds some interesting layers to the role, and delivers perhaps the most devastating line of the entire film. The rest of the cast has their moments, but don’t really have as much to do in the grand scheme of things. They do work well as an ensemble, however, and all play off each other rather well.
Blink Twice is a frustrating film, in that it has a lot of great qualities, but many of them are canceled out by some of its blatant issues. There’s a really good film in here somewhere, but it is overshadowed by weak writing and a head-scratching ending that left a bad taste in my mouth. At the very least, the film does show that Zoë Kravitz has a lot of potential as a director, and I’m curious to see what else she’s capable of. Blink Twice is a deeply flawed film, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t keep me invested from start to finish. It is rather stylish, and comes close to being a really good thriller, but falls a bit short despite its best efforts.
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