Zoë Kravitz’s “Blink Twice” is a radical blend of trippy and unnerving social satire and blood-spattered horror, with Kravitz taking a big swing in her feature directorial debut and connecting with bone-rattling impact. It is a film that takes one big leap after another and sticks the landing far more often than not.
With Kravitz also one of the producers and co-writing the screenplay with E.T. Feigenbaum, “Blink Twice” could be described as “Don’t Worry Darling,” let’s look at “The Menu” and see if there’s a “Glass Onion” and then we’ll “Get Out.”
Kravitz is a showbiz legacy kid who grew up loving movies and has turned in fine work in the “Divergent” and “Fantastic Beasts” series and “The Batman,” as well as TV projects such as “Big Little Lies” and “High Fidelity,” and her love for striking visuals and bold editing, as well as her appreciation for juicy-smart dialogue — it’s all evident here. This is a great-looking film, even when things get memorably, horrifically ugly.
Naomi Ackie is Frida, an aspiring nail designer who is working a gig as a server at a lavish fundraiser when she has a rom-com meet-cute with the dashing and handsome tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum), who has been on an Apology Tour and is trying to rehab his image after being “canceled” for unnamed act(s). Claiming to be reformed and turning over a new leaf, Slater has purchased his own private island with a farm-to-table meets “Saltburn” vibe, where he regularly entertains a close circle of friends and associates, so they can get away from it all. When Slater invites Frida to accompany him to the island and Frida’s best friend Jess (Alia Shawkat) is allowed to come along, they jump at the opportunity, no questions asked.
That might have been a mistake.
The island features an architecturally striking main property with an expansive outdoor pool and lush greenery, as well as a staff of workers who skulk about in unsettling fashion. There are some early indications all might not be as wonderful as it seems, e.g., all guests must hand over their cell phones, and the women are given matching outfits to wear. When Slater says, “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do,” you can’t help but wonder: Why would he even say that? Jess cracks to Frida, “So do you think the human sacrifice is before or after dinner?” but it’s just a joke. Promise.
Christian Slater is Vic, Slater’s right-hand man, Simon Rex is Slater’s childhood friend, Cody, who cooks up gourmet meals every night, and Haley Joel Osment is the rather hapless Tom. As the men do male-bonding stuff, the women drink champagne and smoke pot and lounge by the pool, with Frida and Jess joining Adria Arjona’s Sarah, a reality TV star on a show called “Survivor Babes,” as well as Liz Caribel’s Camilla and Trew Mullen’s Heather. Every once in a while, we get an appearance from Geena Davis’ Stacy, who is Slater’s assistant and his sister and is always carrying red gift bags and seems on the verge of a complete meltdown, and Kyle MacLachlan’s Rich, and whatever he’s up to, we don’t trust him.
As the days and nights of partying blend into one another, the sense of something awful lurking becomes stronger and stronger. One character has a scar, another is missing a finger, and another seems to vanish, and why is there dirt under Frida’s fingernails when she wakes up in the morning? The social satire about toxic men, and women who instantly treat each other as rivals before realizing they’re in this thing together, and the oblivious narcissism of the obscenely rich, gives way to all-out horror in the third act.
Other than one fairly deep plot hole, the gonzo storyline actually makes sense, although the twists come so fast and furious at the end that we need to take a beat to sort it all out as the credits roll. “Blink Twice” makes great use of the terrific cast, with Ackie and Arjona delivering particularly powerful work and Channing turning his natural charm sideways. With this first film, Zoë Kravitz serves notice she is a true talent who is coming for us, and I mean that in the best possible way. I cannot wait to see what she does next.