By: Kimberly Grant
Every woman has grown up being educated by their mothers (and fathers, too) on what not to do when it comes to dating. Don’t get in cars with strange men. If something feels off to you, get yourself to safety. Always keep some type of self-defense device on you at all times. It’s sad that we live in a world where women have to be held accountable in protecting themselves and men get taught that boys will be boys. But, I digress.
In Blink Twice, out in theaters on August 23, the main characters of the film clearly did not heed their parents’ advice.
Directorial Debut
Written and directed by Zoë Kravitz (co-written by E. T. Feigenbaum), Blink Twice takes the audience on a twisted journey of what it means to be wealthy and never held accountable, as well as what it means to be on the opposite side of the spectrum in a lower socioeconomic status. In the film, Frida (played by Naomi Ackie) and her friend Jess (Alia Shawkat) are cater waitresses who dream of a better life. Frida, in particular, dreams of getting the attention of billionaire tech CEO, Slater King (Channing Tatum).
Slater invites Frida and Jess for a once-in-a-lifetime trip to a private island with a group of his friends. All seems great. Everyone is partying all day and all night. The women are being pampered and given all the champagne they can drink. There’s lots of laughter, drinks, and drugs to keep the party going. All is well for Frida and Jess on the surface. Throughout the film, though, there’s a feeling of something not being quite right, but you can’t put your finger on it. Things are not the way they seem.
Without ruining the plot, I will say that this film is fun with a hint of darkness. Kravitz, in her directorial debut has created a film that will have audiences talking for the rest of the year. It has shades of Jordan Peele’s Get Out with a feminine perspective. It’s also reminiscent of other great movies that have hit theaters in recent years. Two years ago, The Menu was a conversation starter about the pretentiousness of classicism with a twist at the end. Last year’s Saltburn was another twisty social commentary about classicism.
And, now we have Blink Twice, which is a commentary on classicism, racism, body autonomy, and feminism, with a twist at the end. Well done. Kravitz has a hit on her hands. Not only is the film artfully done, but it’s beautifully shot with a great cast of characters. It’s evident that extra care was taken for every frame to make this gem. So much so, that I will have to see this movie a second time to catch all of the nuances and foreshadowing that I missed the first time. Not to mention, the music is fire thanks to Chanda Dancy.
Performance
It’s refreshing that Kravitz chose Ackie to be the leading lady. I love Ackie’s look, because she looks like me. She’s a black woman with an imperfect, radiant smile and she’s sporting a cute short haircut. These things do not detract from her beauty. Ackie, who will celebrate her 33rd birthday the day before Blink Twice hits theaters, is a BAFTA and British Independent Film Awards winner. Ackie is also a Cannes Film Festival winner of the Chopard Trophy for “Female Revelation” and played Whitney Houston in Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody. Clearly, Kravitz has a great eye for talent.
Other talent in this movie includes Tatum as the main protagonist/antagonist. Tatum’s Slater will keep audiences guessing throughout the movie. Is he a good guy? Or is he the villain? Tatum is different in Blink Twice. We’re not used to seeing his dark side. It is a little scary. Then again, I much prefer Slater to Tatum’s performance as Gambit in Deadpool & Wolverine. Even though it was true to the character, that Gambit accent was hard on the ears.
Anyway, rounding out the cast is Christian Slater as one of Slater’s friends Vic, who is the bartender. In Slater’s breakout role in Heathers, he played a not good guy and he’s still good at it decades later. Simon Rex, who looks like he hasn’t aged, plays Slater’s friend Cody and their resident chef. Haley Joel Osment gives the audience the creeps as Slater’s friend Tom. Tom has the aura of a sleezy guy who is not to be trusted.
Geena Davis plays Slater’s assistant, Stacy. Stacy is a different type of character for Davis. She normally portrays bad ass women. But this turn as Stacy is one to hate. Stacy is too flighty. Kyle MacLachlan also gives audiences the creeps as Rich, Slater’s therapist. Shawkat once again takes a detour from her typically comedic roles for this thriller. Her Jess is the only voice of reason on the island. And, Adria Arjona injects some badassery of her own as Sarah, who was on multiple seasons of a sexy Survivor-type show.
Key Takeaways
Most movies make you feel something when you leave the theater. Most action movies make me feel pumped. Most comedy movies make me feel light. And, movies like Blink Twice make me think (like Saltburn and The Menu before it). Throughout Blink Twice, I kept feeling like I was missing something important, but felt my eyes glued to the screen. I didn’t want to miss a frame.
Blink Twice is the type of film you will have to watch at least twice to catch all of the references, tell-tale signs of what’s to come, the ripped from the headlines plot, and to understand why the characters have acted in such a way. Because, Blink Twice is intensely scary, jarring, real, and satisfying.
You can read more movie reviews in my Entertainment Blog.
