After striking recent performances in the High Fidelity series, Steven Soderbergh’s Kimi and as Selina Kyle in The Batman, Zoë Kravitz steps behind the camera with Blink Twice: an unsettling tale of coercion, violence and ‘cancel culture’.
Originally titled ‘Pussy Island’ — which we should all mourn, greatly — Blink Twice sees nail artist Frida (Naomi Ackie) and best pal Jess (Alia Shawkat) strike up an unlikely connection with wealthy tech mogul Slater King (Channing Tatum) after crashing a fancy gala. Slater is in the midst of a scandal — one that’s seen him step down from running his company, and issue a plethora of sincere online apologies for his ‘abuse of power’. That doesn’t bother the girls much, though; Tatum’s slick businessman is incredibly charismatic, so when he asks them to come to his private island, they say yes. Once they arrive, reluctantly handing in their phones, they soak up a paradise of pool-lounging, private dinners and psychedelic drugs. Everything is perfect — or is it?
Ackie is on great form, anchoring the film in her desperation for things not to be too good to be true, and her wide-eyed terror and determination when it turns out that they are. Her friendship with Shawkat’s Jess feels authentic and endearing, and her fascination with Slater believable. As the inscrutable billionaire, Channing Tatum is, eventually, chilling, swinging between romantic and ruthless. Slater’s entourage, including Christian Slater’s Vic, Simon Rex’s Cody and Haley Joel Osment’s Tom, are mostly one-dimensional. Of the island inhabitants, Adria Arjona’s reality-TV star Sarah is most compelling — she really comes into her own in the final act, providing much of the darkly comedic levity.
Kravitz's impeccably cool real-life energy seeps into every element.
The way Kravitz unspools the horrifying reality of what’s happening on the island feels heavily Get Out-inspired. She utilises flashbacks, fast cuts and spikes in sound and visuals to overwhelm your senses, leaving you tense and hyper-vigilant. The over-arching narrative becomes quite predictable early on — but Kravitz’s direction, and the smart, neat script by Kravitz and E.T. Feigenbaum, keep things surprising. The film doesn’t shy away from graphic scenes, particularly in the bloody final act, but always holds just enough back to stop it feeling exploitative.
Overall, it’s a really accomplished debut from Kravitz. Her impeccably cool real-life energy seeps into every element, from the pulsating soundtrack, to the saturated colour palette, and a searing sense of humour — there’s even a hilarious glimpse of father Lenny’s viral leather-clad gym video early on. Whatever she turns her hand to next, we’ll be watching.