MOVIE REVIEW – A tech mogul invites a waitress and her friend to spend some time on his private island in this directorial debut, featuring Adria Arjona, Alia Shawkat, Simon Rex, and Haley Joel Osment.

Zoë Kravitz’s impactful yet somewhat uneven directorial debut, Blink Twice, begins with the tale of a tech billionaire embroiled in scandal. Slater King (Channing Tatum), in a video reminiscent of Elon Musk, issues a public apology. “After everything that happened,” Slater says, announcing his retreat from the company he founded. He expresses regret for his actions and plans to withdraw to his private island for reflection. The exact nature of Slater’s transgressions is never revealed, but in today’s digital age, where #MeToo scandals frequently surface, it’s not hard to fill in the blanks.

Devotion in the Face of Scandal

However, Frida (played excellently by Naomi Ackie) seems unfazed by the accusations surrounding Slater or the seemingly insincere apology. When we first meet this naive nail designer, she’s sitting on the toilet in her rundown apartment, watching the scandalous video with reverence, daydreaming about the day she might meet him.

The very next evening, while working as a waitress at a charity event, Frida comes face-to-face with Slater. Their first encounter is awkward yet charged with tension—almost like something out of a romantic comedy. Frida trips over her dress, and Slater helps her up, locking eyes with her for a long moment. Later that night, as the party winds down, Slater invites Frida to join him and his entourage on a trip to his private island. Frida eagerly accepts and brings along her best friend and roommate, Jess (Alia Shawkat).

If Triangle of Sadness, Glass Onion, and The Menu have taught us anything, it’s that a group of strangers on an isolated island never bodes well. Kravitz, who co-wrote the screenplay with E.T. Feigenbaum, quickly establishes Blink Twice as a blend of social satire and horror, though maintaining that balance proves more challenging as the story unfolds.

Island Luxury or Nightmare?

On Slater’s island, there are no cell phones allowed. The staff, much like those in Jordan Peele’s Get Out!, wear forced smiles that only highlight their empty stares. No luggage is necessary, as each guest is provided with matching white linen outfits. The drinks flow endlessly, the drugs are plentiful, and each evening’s dinner is prepared by Slater’s friend Cody (Simon Rex) using locally sourced ingredients, served by candlelight. These sun-drenched, dreamlike scenes enhance the otherworldly atmosphere of the tropical island.

Unlike the latest wave of “eat-the-rich” films, Blink Twice only partially focuses on the ultraluxurious lifestyle. Shortly after arriving, Frida starts noticing strange occurrences on the island. A maid (María Elena Olivares) repeats odd phrases to her; Jess disappears, and Frida realizes her memories are becoming increasingly fragmented. Why can’t she remember where her bruises came from or why there’s dirt under her nails? Similar strange things are happening to the other women on the island, including Sarah (played excellently by Adria Arjona), a former reality TV contestant who competes with Frida for Slater’s attention.

Kravitz is particularly interested in exploring sexual violence against women and the psychological toll of trauma. Her film echoes Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman, though Kravitz doesn’t shy away from the gore. Here, vengeance is more than an abstraction. There’s also an underlying attempt to examine the simultaneous invisibility and hypervisibility of Black women, particularly early in the film when Frida is at work, but this theme disappointingly fades as the action escalates.

Personal Hell or Reality?

As Frida tries to make sense of the bizarre events, she uncovers the nightmarish reality of Slater’s island; Blink Twice eventually sheds its social satire to fully embrace the mechanics of horror. Working with cinematographer Adam Newport-Berra (The Last Black Man in San Francisco), Kravitz adds a sinister twist to the previously idyllic images of the island, transforming the lush forest into a haunted arena filled with deadly traps.

There are moments when Blink Twice’s busy narrative—full of twists as we follow Frida’s tense fight for survival—and its dynamic visual language come together to realize Kravitz’s ambitions. However, Blink Twice ultimately feels too scattered, overburdened by its heavy themes, striking imagery, half-developed plot points, and partially realized characters.

If Blink Twice succeeds at all, it’s largely due to a few standout performances. Tatum delivers a reliable performance in a role that requires him to subtly wield his charm. But it’s Ackie and Arjona who truly anchor and energize the film. Ackie, who played Whitney Houston in Kasi Lemmons’s 2022 biopic, powerfully portrays a woman crumbling under the weight of her trauma. Her performance is raw and vulnerable, inviting the audience to delve deeper into Frida’s character, despite the character’s somewhat sketchy outline.

Strength and Solidarity Through a Feminine Lens

Together with Arjona, Ackie crafts a compelling portrayal of strength. The relationship between Frida and Sarah explores familiar dynamics between women, from petty jealousies to empowering alliances. The credit goes to Ackie and Arjona for making Frida and Sarah’s reactions to their ordeal feel authentic. Their chilling screams send shivers down the spine, their tears are genuinely moving. These two actresses don’t just reveal the anger fueling Blink Twice; they fully embody it.

-Herpai Gergely “BadSector”-