Zoë Kravitz presents a sinister paradise in a thrilling meditation on power and memory in her directorial debut.
★★★★☆
From its inception in 2017 until January of this year Blink Twice was known by another name: Pussy Island. While that name wasn’t received well by potential audiences or the Motion Picture Association it perfectly encapsulates the film’s focus. Blink Twice is a film about rich, powerful men, the kind that would engage in ‘locker room talk’, and the beautiful young women who flock to them. It’s such a well-worn trope that one of the quickest cinematic indicators of a man’s success is to put a beautiful girl on each arm. At its core, that’s what’s so interesting about Blink Twice. It’s a thriller about power, money and sexual politics from the perspective of the beautiful women usually reduced to status symbols. They’ve been let into the room, but what happens behind closed doors?
Blink Twice follows Frida (Naomi Ackie), an ambitious young cocktail server who thinks she’s hit the jackpot when she stumbles (literally) into billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) and he invites her and her best friend Jess (Alia Shawkat) on a luxury trip to his private island. Indulgent days and drug-fuelled nights quickly begin to blend together as a dream vacation becomes a nightmare.
Ackie’s Frida is a compelling lead, although portions of her character are thinly drawn (a guide to success in her bathroom signals to us she’s ‘ambitious’). But Frida also feels refreshing. She doesn’t catch Slater’s eye because she’s ‘not like other girls’, uninterested in his wealth or lifestyle – she’s just one of many women swept up in the power of Slater and his friends. Frida is more than happy to escape her life as a server, trying to keep up with rent and failing to get her Instagram side hustle of animal-themed nail art to take off. Ackie doesn’t play Frida as naïve, but there’s a quiet wide-eyed excitement in her portrayal of a woman not quite able to believe her good luck. She wants to believe in the fairytale, and you want things to work out for her.
Kravitz’s camera feasts on the island’s pleasures, the hazy approach to time passing perfectly capturing the disorientating paradise and allowing the sinister to begin to sneak in amongst the luxury. The pure white dresses, the blood red gift bags, a property infested with snakes; the set up allows for the editing to walk the thin line between dream and nightmare. Is this debauchery or disorientation we’re experiencing? Kravitz maintains a tight grip on tone for the most part, although there are a few one-liners and platitudes that don’t quite land, with sentiments worth further examination than a quick line of dialogue.
Blink Twice is full of fun small details that make the film feel enjoyable and fresh. Exposition via Instagram Reels. Frida’s animal themed nail art. Excellent sound design that makes you aware of every pop of champagne. It also features a solid supporting cast including Alia Shawkat, Simon Rex and Gina Davis. However the standout here is Adria Arjona as Sarah, initially Frida’s main competition for Slater’s affection. Two women overcoming their rivalry to become allies is not exactly new, but Sarah being a reality TV star from the recently canceled ‘Hot Survival Babes’ equally versed in exploitation and survival skills is an extremely fun choice.
As Blink Twice enters its third act, and things begin to escalate on the island some of the control on the film begins to slip which results in a sometimes muddled third act. Some set pieces and moments could be more clearly telegraphed which creates some misses in what should be a climax of pure, bloody catharsis.
This portion of the review contains spoilers and discussion of sexual violence.
Blink Twice is a difficult film to discuss without spoilers, in part because the ‘twist’ is relatively easy to guess: women are being continuously roofied via a plant that grows on the island and distributed via perfume. This might be why the film adds an additional twist about Frida’s time on the island, which doesn’t quite land.
Perhaps Slater and his friends would be more cartoonishly evil if recent news events were not such a stark reminder of the world we live in, but unfortunately their schemes don’t feel that far-fetched. Even within the film’s world, once Frida and Sarah come to the realisation that their memories are being erased, they both seem to immediately understand what violations will have taken place. The film has one extended scene of sexual violence that is difficult to watch, but the more effective horror comes from the smaller details. The bows on the back of all the girls’ matching evening dresses that work perfectly for hog tying. The fact that all the men are longtime friends and colluders while the women have no history with each other or their ‘dates’. The repeated question—”are you having a good time?”—for which there is only one acceptable answer.
The film’s end will be particularly divisive, and is one that would have landed stronger if Kravitz had dug a little more into some of the characters’ psychology. Blink Twice is a bold vision with a fresh perspective, but occasionally some of its critiques and observations feel surface level. However, few films have taken the time to explore the perspective of the beautiful gaggle of girls that surround a rich man—let alone assert their humanity in such a brutal and bloody manner. Blink Twice is a great film whose biggest weakness is that if it had just dug a little deeper, it could have been a truly brilliant one.
The Verdict
Blink Twice is an impressive if slightly uneven debut. A bold, brutal story that can’t quite always live up to its own ambitions but is certainly worth the ride.
Words by Louise Eve Leigh
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