Zoë Kravitz’s Directorial Debut Blink Twice is a Good Time, but not Nearly Long Enough
DIRECTED BY ZOË KRAVITZ/2024
Are you having a good time? A repeated question meant for the characters in the film, but at a certain point it begins to feel directed at the audience instead. Are we having a good time? Even after viewing Blink Twice, this a question I still do not know how to answer myself. Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut carefully conceals its intentions until the first card is played. From there, the audience is left no choice but to ride out this strange trip.
We meet Frida (Naomi Ackie), a cocktail waitress, sitting on a toilet and scrolling aimlessly through social media content. Accompanied by her best friend, Jess (Ali Shawkat), the two find themselves working a fundraising gala for tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum). When they decide to sneak into the gala, the night brings Frida and Slater face-to-face, and she falls under his charm immediately. Accompanied by Slater’s ragtag posse of walking wealthy cliches, the two friends are whisked away on an impromptu vacation to his private island. The days and nights pass in a dizzying haze of booze and drugs as the group indulges in a seemingly endless bacchanal. When Frida wakes one day to discover that Jess missing, she must piece through her reality to uncover the truth hidden deep beneath this unsettling tropical paradise.
If nothing else, Kravitz certainly commits to the aesthetic of the film. The vibrant colors and practically endless shots of fizzling champagne glasses, elegant meals, and gorgeous scenery come together in a visual buffet. The consistent, arguably excessive, use of close-up shots creates an almost claustrophobic environment. Certain scenes end almost as soon as they begin, and the juxtaposition between the dark nights and bright mornings borders on violent. The strange camerawork and choppy editing could be perceived as sloppy filmmaking, but in the case of Blink Twice it only adds to the disconcerting tone of the film. For her first project, Kravitz has nailed the overall feel of a proper black comedy right on the head.
Kravitz has also managed to wrangle one of the most fascinating ensembles of the year. Naomi Ackie has all the confidence necessary in a leading lady while simultaneously making Frida feel like a complete outsider among the rest of the cast. Her performance here is only a few clicks shy of modern thriller powerhouses such as Lupita Nyong’o and Mia Goth. In his role as Slater King, Channing Tatum has official announced his graduation from those early-2000s rom-coms that made him famous. He has not left his natural charm behind completely, but those casual smiles turn menacing on a dime. Truly, it is always refreshing to watch an actor step outside of their comfort zone. The rest of the ensemble is fleshed out by a mix of veteran actors and lesser-known names. It is delightful fun to see familiar faces such as Christian Slater and Geena Davis make a rare appearance on the big screen. Between Blink Twice and the success of Hit Man, Adria Arjona seems destined to become a household name as well.
Unfortunately, it is the film’s brief run time that is the inevitable weak point. Characters are not entirely fleshed-out and still feel rather hollow by the film’s end. That is no criticism on the actors, as each one uses their limited time to imbue their characters with a sense of personality. Certain plot lines get left behind in the mad dash to the finish line, while others are never properly introduced from the beginning. Most thrillers tend to overstay their welcome, which makes Blink Twice a slight enigma in this case. It feels as though there are at least ten minutes of film still missing when the credits roll.
The end result is strange cocktail of intriguing concepts and bright aesthetics. It feels like the eerie love child of a marriage between Don’t Worry Darling and Midsommar. There is a clear vision here, but the execution stutters and stumbles in places. There is no argument that Kravitz delivers in her promise for a film that is equally disturbing as it is entertaining. There is not much new being done here, yet this detail does not diminish the finished product. Perhaps the suggestion is in the title itself. Blink Twice is a film that may be better both understood and enjoyed upon a second viewing.