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Didn’t we just have a film and a show, or two, about a crazy rich person who gathers beautiful people around him on an island before things start going very wrong?
Of course, we did. What makes Blink Twice special is that it is actor Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut, and she shows a sure – and striking – confidence in staging this thriller.
A lot of it is courtesy the powerful performances by the two actors playing the leads, Kravitz’s real-life boyfriend Tatum and Ackie. Tatum plays a tech mogul, Slater King, who has had to step down from his business after a misdemeanour whose true nature is only hinted at. He is now in semi-retirement, which he spends on a private island, “growing chickens” and staying away from all electronic equipment.
Slater emerges from that island only to hold an annual gala, as part of the philanthropic efforts he has taken up after his public shaming.
Frida (Ackie) is taken up by his story, consumed in social media bytes, and can’t stay away when she gets a chance to work as a waiter at the Slater gala. She is there with friend Jess (Shawkat).
Slater is surprisingly taken in by Frida as well, and soon the two women are made an offer they are in no mood to refuse: to fly off with Slater and his friends on his private jet to his private island.
So far, so good. Kravitz, who also co-wrote the story, is unabashed about Frida and Jess’s less-than-wise choices at this point, down to Frida clearly wondering why Slater won’t go past open flirting with her. Their friendship is nice and effortless, and Shawkat makes her presence felt in the role of a friend who usually no one notices.
However, it is clear that all the gourmet food, champagne, identical perfumes and free clothes – with all the women getting identical white, virginal flowy dresses, a clear red herring – must come at a price.
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When it is clear what the price is, it’s still a shock. Kravitz is clearly trying to make a point about gender dynamics, suppressed memories, the enforced silences of sexual assault, and the power of money to wipe the slate clean.
But the way the film is paced lets down both her script and her actors. Too much time is spent lying around pools and in gardens in drunken and MDMA-dazed stupors, and after a while it is all repetitive. On the contrary, what follows after is rushed through, from how the women start realising they are losing track of time and their memories, to the denouement – almost like Kravitz didn’t have the confidence to carry through what she started.
That is not to take away from the stylishness and slickness of this thriller, or the anticipation for what Kravitz comes up with next.
As for Tatum, his use of his golden good looks to ooze charm and menace in equal parts is as promising.
Director: Zoë Kravitz
Cast: Channing Tatum, Naomi Ackie, Alia Shawkat, Christian Slater, Adria Arjona, Haley Joel Osment, Geena Davis, Kyle MacLachlan
Rating: 3 stars
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