Zoë Kravitz takes a thrilling leap from acting to directing with her searing feature debut. If Blink Twice falls just shy of the heady heights of Jordan Peele’s Get Out as a socially engaged and satirical thriller, it plays very much in the same ballpark, dauntlessly taking on gender, class, and racial dynamics that are cruel and widespread.
Naomi Ackie plays down-on-her-luck waitress Frida, who accepts an invitation from tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) to jump on a private jet for a getaway at his stylishly appointed private island. This luxurious setting is populated by partygoers (and poisonous snakes), but from the first close-up on a reptilian face it becomes clear something is amiss. As fellow guest (and reality-TV star) Sarah (Hit Man’s Adria Arjona) puts it after a few days: “I’m having a great time, but I also have this feeling that I’m like… not.”
Kravitz (who co-wrote with E.T. Feigenbaum) takes her time revealing precisely what is actually happening on the island, building up to a masterful twist that recontextualizes prior scenes and lends new meaning to small pieces of dialogue.
The chemistry between leads Ackie and Tatum is simply scintillating; what’s more, they receive pitch-perfect support from an idiosyncratic ensemble that includes Alia Shawkat, Simon Rex, and Christian Slater. The aforementioned play misfits who keep their motives close to their chests while still being people you would want to party with – particularly during an exquisitely timed, post-dinner needle-drop of 'Young Hearts Run Free'.
Above all, though, Blink Twice is an electrifying showcase for Kravitz, who is emerging as one of the most talented and socially aware Black women operating on a global stage. The influences of The Stepford Wives on plot and The Shining’s Overlook Hotel on set design are thoughtfully utilised, and even if the world portrayed is a dark place, the filmmaking on display dazzles.
Blink Twice is released in UK cinemas and US theaters on August 23.
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