Personally, I am a huge fan of anything bloody, gritty and dark. However, when it comes to horror/thriller movies, there always seems to be a certain edge toward the feminine presence. We know the trope: bloody, ripped clothes, scantily clad female leads lure the viewer’s eyes away from the gruesome atrocities. What if I told you this movie was different?
In Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut, her fiancé Channing Tatum portrays Slater King, a tech mogul and owner of an elusive island where he’s “taken time off” to address his struggles. Naomi Ackie stars as the protagonist Frida, who works for King’s tech company and runs a nail business specializing in animal nail art, or as she calls it, “anailmals.” Frida and her friend Jess, played by Alia Shakwat, attend an event for the company, where they meet King and get invited to his famed island – an island which has no technology, including phones. Everything goes south when Jess goes missing, and no one seems to remember her.
In the beginning of the movie, there is a trigger warning for sexual assault, giving viewers ample time to decide if they want to continue watching; unlike Colleen Hoover’s recently released movie “It Ends With Us,” which met backlash for having no trigger warnings for domestic abuse. “Blink Twice” doesn’t linger on the scene — yes, it’s disgusting, but it is not unnecessarily drawn out. I respect Kravitz for touching on the subject matter without an excess of sexual violence against women.
At first sight, the movie shows a glamorous lifestyle filled with champagne, drugs and partying. King assures Frida that anything she would ever need is to be found in her room – clothes are laid out for the day and any hygiene products are in her bathroom cabinet. But when you least expect it, your entire view on what’s really happening there is irrevocably changed.
The best part of the movie is Kravitz’s storytelling ability: The whole time I was left on the edge of my seat, conspiring quietly with my mom about what was really happening. Through the twists, turns and stunning reveals, Kravitz never oversexualized any of the female characters – something that only a female director would be capable of doing. They’re humanized, with feelings and emotions and thought-out backstories. It goes without saying this film isn’t missing any of the blood and gore you’d expect from the genre, especially since the later half of the movie focuses on revenge.
My favorite part of “Blink Twice” is the ending. No spoilers, but it’s the first time in years I have watched a psychological thriller and walked away feeling satisfied. What a relief I don’t have to imagine an alternate ending in my head! Usually, I walk away full of questions, but with “Blink Twice,” everything was tied up in a neat, dark and twisted bow. I give “Blink Twice” five out of five goats.
