Big Little Lies actress Zoe Kravitz offers a thought-provoking mix of dark comedy and thrills in her directorial debut Blink Twice. Known for her roles in The Batman and Divergent, Kravitz steps behind the camera to deliver a film brimming with smart ideas, contentious themes and striking visuals.
Blink Twice follows cocktail waitress Frida (Naomi Ackie) and her best friend Jess (Alia Shawkat) as they accept an invitation from tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) to his private island. The film’s opening scenes establish a tantalising world of opulence and excess, where Frida and Jess indulge in designer drugs, fine wines and gourmet delicacies. This idyllic getaway quickly takes a sinister turn when they experience unexplainable bouts of memory loss.
Jess mysteriously disappears, and none of the guests except Frida can even remember that she was on the island. As flashes of her memory come back to Frida, she teams up with another guest on the island, Sarah (Adria Arjona), to get to the bottom of the mystery.
The island setting of Blink Twice and its enigmatic billionaire echo recent films like Ram Bergman’s Glass Onion (2022) and Mark Mylod’s The Menu. Even the story’s unsettling elements and social commentary bring to mind Jordan Peele’s Get Out. While these comparisons could be seen as a tribute to contemporary cinematic trends, they also make Blink Twice feel like it’s arriving late to the party.
Despite these factors, Kravitz makes a self-assured debut with sharp wit and a satirical edge. The film opens with a clever sequence where Frida learns about King’s dubious past on her phone while on the toilet. This sets the tone for a film that blends contemporary humour with a critique of the elite. The early scenes, particularly at King’s lavish charity gala, are laced with sharp observations about wealth and privilege, and the ensuing island retreat is portrayed with a deliciously unsettling mix of allure and foreboding.
As the film progresses, the initial intrigue begins to falter under the weight of its narrative ambitions. The shift from luxurious indulgence to the thriller’s core mystery happens too slowly, with repetitive montages and overly obvious foreshadowing dulling the tension. The film’s pacing issues become apparent as the memory loss plot unfolds, leading to a climax that feels both rushed and crowded with thematic explorations.
The film’s attempt to juggle multiple themes — trauma, white privilege, cancel culture, and sexual exploitation — result in a storyline that occasionally feels more like a collection of provocative ideas than a cohesive thriller. The tonal shifts between farcical humour and grim reality can be jarring, making it difficult for the audience to fully invest in the unfolding drama.
Yet, Blink Twice is stylish and savage. Kravitz’s directorial flair is evident in the film’s visual style and in her ability to elicit strong performances from her lead cast of Ackie, Shawkat and Adria. Tatum’s portrayal of the enigmatic Slater King is charismatic and menacing but occasionally borders on caricature.
