“Blink Twice” is a psychological thriller film directed by Zoë Kravitz, in her directorial debut. Our JP reviews the film, starring Naomi Ackie and Channing Tatum.
Blink Twice
(Amazon MGM Studios)
- Directed by Zoë Kravitz
- Written by Zoë Kravitz, E.T. Feigenbaum
- Produced by Bruce Cohen, Tiffany Persons, Garret Levitz, Zoë Kravitz, Channing Tatum
- Starring Naomi Ackie, Channing Tatum, Christian Slater, Simon Rex, Adria Arjona, Kyle MacLachlan, Haley Joel Osment, Geena Davis, Alia Shawkat
Studio Synopsis:
When tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) meets cocktail waitress Frida (Naomi Ackie) at his fundraising gala, sparks fly. He invites her to join him and his friends on a dream vacation on his private island. It’s paradise. Wild nights blend into sun soaked days and everyone’s having a great time. No one wants this trip to end, but as strange things start to happen, Frida begins to question her reality. There is something wrong with this place. She’ll have to uncover the truth if she wants to make it out of this party alive.
J.P.’s Take:
Actress / filmmaker Zoë Kravitz throws her hat in the ring, as co-writer, director, and producer of her terrifying freshman film, “Blink Twice,” which will have your blood pumping. She and co-writer E.T. Feigenbaum (Hulu’s “High Fidelity” series) craft a horror / mystery / thriller that is wrought with tension and manage to grab viewers’ attention disturbingly.
Frida (Naomi Ackie), a down-on-her-luck cocktail waitress, becomes unhealthily fixated on a once disgraced billionaire tech mogul and playboy, after surfing through TikTok feeds that vaguely divulges his abuse of power. In the brief video, he seems to have redeemed himself, expressing his sincere apology to those he has affected and exclaiming that he’s been in therapy. At first, it appears her infatuation with him merely leans on the fact that he’s rich and famous. Yet, the focus of this narrative seems to shift from the economic divide to gender disparities.
As a word of caution, this film comes with a trigger warning for those who have experienced abuse and sexual assault, due to some disturbing behavior displayed later on. The trailers certainly lead you to believe something sinister is going down, yet this palpable mystery drives viewers to stay focused on the events of the moment. You may call this a Cinderella story gone completely off the rails as Frida and her best friend Jess’s (Alia Shawkat) situation goes from lavish and picturesque to simply terrifying in one broad stroke.
What I found cringe-worthy is at the time Frida and Jess were asked by Prince Charming, Slater King (Channing Tatum), to fly away to his private island, as this would have raised some red flags. Instead, their naiveté take over, and they get caught up in all the luxuriousness to be concerned with what could go wrong. However, once on the island, you’ll hear Jess and a couple of guests jokingly say things like, so this is when all the bad stuff happens and people start dying … as if they already know what’s ahead. In the meantime, many of the scenes are rinse and repeat, as it’s one grand party on the island day after day. Slater stresses the question, “Is everyone having a good time?” Each time he asks this question, things become increasingly suspicious. Slater continues to assure his guests that all is well.
Here’s where the mystery starts to unravel. Amid the waterfall of champagne, gourmet meals, and enough weed to choke a horse, Frida’s curiosity gets the better of her, when she discovers the intoxicating perfume called Desideria, a word / name meaning longing. As she draws closer to Slater King, their conversations become more personal and lean towards their traumatic pasts. While Slater wants to forget his, Frida seems acceptant of her past. This is where the perfume comes into play.
Kravitz and Feigenbaum ratchet up the tension by building in suspicious activities surrounding the guests: Jess disappears and no one seems to remember her; the women there start having disturbing flashbacks of events they had no prior knowledge of, which become new reference points; the staff on the premises becomes indicators of creepier clues; and the bespoke items in Frida and Jess’s rooms are laid out in a particular fashion.
By the time we reached the film’s pinnacle, we were ready for the shocking reveal. What wasn’t fully expected was how the tables were turned on the culprits responsible for such terrifying events. It’s an ending that will have you slightly perplexed yet somewhat relieved.
However, a few questions remain about Slater King’s past, including what dark secret was he hiding and what was he truly sorry for? After all, towards the end, he expressed there is no real forgiveness. Hmmm… is he a victim of abuse or instigator? Nonetheless, the ending will trip you out.
When I look back at “Blink Twice,” there is a dark sense of humor surrounding the whole thing, followed by nonsensical antics on Frida’s and Jess’s parts. Yet, there is something weirdly satisfying about it as a whole. The audience even clapped when it was over. I got a good rise out of it.
Official Site: Blink Twice
