Blink Twice Review

Blink Twice is the directional debut for Zoë Kravitz and serves as a psychological thriller, a dark comedy, and a feminist tale.

Frida (Naomi Ackie) and Jess (Alia Shawkat) are friends and roommates who work as waitresses at an event for the King Foundation. Frida and Jess use their job to pretend to be guests and by chance, Frida meets the tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum). When they get invited to Slater’s private island they get to experience a life of luxury. Yet the stay on the island takes a dark turn when their memories start to lapse.

Blink Twice taps into two major themes in modern society, the wealth divide and the treatment of women. The film opened with a trigger warning about the themes and content in Blink Twice which is understandable considering the way of the world, but the warning did dampen the shock factor. This was a film that had a message that all men are bad and would give certain sections of YouTube a collective aneurysm if they could get substantial ad revenue.

The feminist theme was tackled from three directions: how women can be exploited and abused by men in power, how women turn on each other, and how they fight back. Blink Twice ended up being a provocative film during the second half because of the violence. It walked a fine line and could have been exploitative. Blink Twice managed to avoid this because it was trying to address serious issues. Being directed by a woman helped give the message more authenticity.

Blink Twice showed the treatment of women. One-half of the film was about how men exploit women in many forms. This made Blink Twice a #MeToo movie, similar to Last Night in Soho and Men. Yet Blink Twice was willing to show how women can turn on each other. Frida formed a rivalry with Sarah (Adria Arjona), a former reality TV contestant with survival skills. They acted like animals in a nature documentary trying to impress a potential mate. Frida was willing to gaslight her friend when she started to have suspicions about the events on the island.

The men held the power in Blink Twice because of their gender and wealth. Slater was publicly shamed for his inappropriate behaviour but he didn’t suffer any real consequences. He was still exceedingly wealthy, had a private island, and only had to give up control of his company temporarily. Slater, his pals, and the harem of women got to experience an endless time of hedonism. This ended up giving Blink Twice an eat-the-rich sentiment that has been present in films like The Menu, Triangle of Sadness, and Parasite. Blink Twice came across as a mix of The Menu and Infinity Pool in tone and theme. The characters were so repulsive that it would lead to wishing for the Air Force to carpet bomb Salter’s Island.

Blink Twice did have an eerie undercurrent when the characters moved to Salter’s Island. Even when Frida was enjoying the highlife there was a strangeness because of how one of the maids spoke to Frida, the staff stared at new arrivals on the island, and it was ominous seeing the staff killing snakes and holding up their corpses. It gave the film an atmosphere that was better than some of 2024’s big horror offerings and there was violent catharsis during the second half of the film. Blink Twice offered up two types of horror for the price of one. Kravitz wanted to make a twisty thriller but also liked to highlight important items like Jess’ lighter.

Even though Blink Twice was looking at serious issues, it was a surprisingly funny film. The humour was jet black and it’s hard to get it right. Blink Twice managed this even after the disturbing reveal. Arjona provided quite a bit of comedy throughout the film; hopefully, we get to see more from her.

Blink Twice serves as a great example of a feminist thriller and a strong # MeToo-themed film. It explored heavy themes and ideas, whilst also offering comedy and violence amidst the potential darkness.