Directorial debuts are often met with some trepidation, particularly from performers who you may not have pegged to have the director bug. Zoe Kravitz makes the leap with “Blink Twice,” and while not without its faults, demonstrates a knack for the gig. Armed with a surprisingly keen eye for framing and getting the most out of her cast, her debut is a mixed bag of ideas clashing against amateur execution. It shows that Kravitz does in fact have the juice, but clearly needs more refinement. Still, “Blink Twice” or “Pussy Island” as it was originally called (which would be harder to market at the box office but is honestly a better title) shows a ton of promise from the young star, and finds some ways to stride with confidence even when it falters narratively.
Written and directed by Kravitz and co-written by E.T. Feigenbaum, “Blink Twice” is another film that works best when you go in knowing as little as possible. Much like “Strange Darling,” it is a film that needs to be talked around instead of directly talked about for maximum potency. However, this one isn’t nearly as clever as it thinks it is, and unlike its similar counterpart, doesn’t have the non-linear device to keep the mystery going. In short, “Blink Twice” follows cocktail waitress and nail artist Frida (Naomi Ackie), meandering through life feeling invisible and wanting more. When she meets tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) at a charity event, she is drawn to his charm and can’t say no when he asks her and her friend to join them on a getaway vacation to his private island. At first, everyone is having a great time; the champagne flows, the blunts keep rolling, the drugs keep everyone in a blissful daze. But something isn’t right, and the longer Frida stays on the island, the more she begins to suspect that there is something very, very wrong. The film also stars Adria Arjona, Alia Shawkat, Christian Slater, Geena Davis, Simon Rex, and Haley Joel Osment.
For its strengths, “Blink Twice” sports some visual flare that far exceeds a first time director. Kravitz surprisingly knows her way around the camera, and knows how to let her cast shine. We’ll get to what doesn’t work in a bit, but for now the visual storytelling and performances are where the film really holds its weight. “Blink Twice” is a bold, ambitious, audacious project that Kravitz approaches with the confidence of a seasoned filmmaker, and that ambition deserves to commended. She attempts to tackle big themes like sexual assault, cancel culture, class and race disparities with a female gaze under the guise of of the billionaire playboy party life. “Blink Twice” takes some bold risks with many of them paying off (kind of) thanks to some great performances from its leads. This is a film by women for women, and really takes off when the women finally get a chance to take over.
Ackie and Arjona are a terrific pair, with Ackie finally being able to spread her wings and no longer be confined by musical biopic tropes. She is the heart and soul of “Blink Twice,” one of the few that is given the most to do and required to elevate an otherwise paper thin character. Ackie is charming and unassuming, but also cunning and funny, more than capable of balancing out the horror, drama, and comedic timing required for the tonal shifts in “Blink Twice.” Arjona is a cinematic godsend, continuing her excellent streak of not just being one of the most gorgeous women to ever grace the screen, but armed with an unassailable talent she commands with every single moment she’s on screen. She is simply captivating, and delivers some of the best line readings “Blink Twice” has to offer.
All of its most entertaining moments come from Ackie and Arjona paired together, and things really reach their peak when it’s the two of them doing their best to add subtext and characterization to barely developed characters. Tatum shows a whole different side of himself here. It’s strange that his wife is the one to bring out the most threatening performance he’s ever done, but he really showcases some different facets of his game and continues to show that he actually can act. He leans into the charming leading man with incredible charisma, but also manages to maintain a sort of mistrust to his otherwise therapy manipulated driven actions, another topic that Kravitz and “Blink Twice” seem interested in critiquing and Tatum nails very well. Around the time Ackie and Arjona take flight, Tatum comes alive in the most hauntingly unhinged ways. Leave it to his wife to bring out the most threatening and unsettling Tatum has ever been. He delivers a monologue in the third act that might just be his best work to date, and “Blink Twice” is a showcase of what more he can do and what more we can ask of him as an onscreen presence.
And that’s about where the good ends and lacking substance begins to take over. While Kravitz deserves some praise for her ambition, it is that very ambition that crumbles “Blink Twice.” She trades out narrative conclusiveness for parabolic social commentary, but unfortunately doesn’t have anything new to say about any of the myriad of topics she wants to discuss. It feels like a half baked hybrid of “Saltburn” and “Don’t Worry Darling,” both films that were already undercooked to start. The challenge in tackling topics like class and cancel culture and sexual assault is that – if you’re going to talk about them – you need to really push the limits and have something new to say about them. “Don’t trust billionaires” isn’t exactly groundbreaking stuff, and those simple conclusions across all of the complex topics hold “Blink Twice” back from reaching the narrative heights it strives to attain. It is all too surface level to be impactful, and a more capable director could probably extrapolate a deeper purpose buried beneath the thin pages.
Even the mysteries in “Blink Twice” are pretty easy to figure out quickly, and the film is never as far ahead of the audience as it thinks itself to be. That doesn’t necessarily remove the entertainment value, but that’s more due to the visual style and strong performances than what’s actually being told. The script suffers from being overstretched and inconclusive, the kind that really falls apart under any sort of scrutiny. Motivations are muddled at best, and none of the characters are fleshed out in any meaningful way even as the performers are working overtime to give themselves something to do. All the purposefully disorienting editing can’t hide most of the reveals, and doesn’t keep you guessing as much as it keeps you watching. A few more passes and little bit more purpose would actually save it from itself, but unfortunately we’re left with a well crafted mess that survives off the drawing allure of its stars. You simply have to have something to say here, and unfortunately doesn’t say much at all in the end.
“Blink Twice” isn’t a bad movie. It just doesn’t have anything to say for itself and can only be impactful if it does. It might be a mixed bag, but certainly leaves me hopeful for whatever Kravitz decides to do next. And I’m all for letting Tatum cook, giving Ackie some spotlight shine, and Arjona in everything doing anything all the time.
I was having a great time with “Blink Twice,” but also got the feeling that I was like, not.
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
“Blink Twice” is now playing in theaters. You can watch the trailer below.
