Do you know Zoe Kravitz? If not, learn her name because she’s likely to become a significant player in directing thrillers in the future. She’s the daughter of rocker Lenny Kravitz and played Catwoman in Robert Pattinson’s version of Batman. But enough about Zoe’s biography—let’s dive into the movie.
Blink Twice follows Frida (Naomi Ackie) and Jess (Alia Shawkat), two roommates who are down on their luck and working as servers at a charity event hosted by Slater King (Channing Tatum), a billionaire tech mogul trying to rehabilitate his image due to an implied salacious past. Frida is smitten with Slater, and the two cross paths at the after-party. She and Jess hang out with Slater and his friends for the remainder of the evening and are eventually invited to join them at his private island. They accept and jet off to paradise with Slater’s friends and several other women.
Upon arrival, all island guests are required to surrender their cell phones for the duration of their stay. Jess is hesitant but relinquishes her phone. The party escalates as the group dines on exquisite meals, does drugs, and drinks until days blend into nights and vice versa. There are several workers tending to operations on the island, none of whom speak English but all of whom are a bit creepy. The guests witness snakes being culled by the workers as Slater warns them to steer clear if they see one. They’re led to their quarters where clothes and perfume are provided.
One evening, Jess is bitten by one of the island's many snakes; blood drips from one of her nostrils. Soon after, she expresses fears about being on the island to Frida without revealing specifics. Frida urges her to overcome her fears and enjoy this unique opportunity. Jess relents. The next day, while exploring the island, Frida stumbles upon a hut where one of the strange workers is tending to dead snakes. The worker offers Frida a swig of what is presumed to be alcohol, only to find out that it’s snake venom. The next day, she awakens with blood running from one of her nostrils and a host of ominous feelings. A fishing trip is planned for the whole party, but the women decide to stay behind and relax on the island. While lounging poolside with mud masks, Frida asks the other women if they’ve seen Jess recently. The women all respond with “Who’s Jess?”. Frida searches for Jess, only to find her quarters being used as storage. She begins to question her sanity and confides in another woman, Sarah. As they talk, Frida realizes that the other women didn’t know the men, and they all made a mistake traveling to paradise. Frida takes Sarah to drink the snake venom, and after some time, her nose also begins to bleed, and repressed memories start to flow. Frida recalls that the women were sexually assaulted by the men and that they murdered Jess because she remembered (due to the snake bite).
The two women take the venom to the remaining women, pretending it’s tequila so they’ll drink it. Before the men return from their fishing expedition, Frida searches for their phones in Slater’s private quarters. She finds the phones as well as hundreds of Polaroid images showing random men with different women on the island. The expedition returns while she’s investigating, and she’s nearly caught. Frida and Sarah discuss how they need to stick together and avoid showing fear. After dinner, the other two women start bleeding from their noses, and chaos ensues. Each of them begins to pick off the men in gruesome ways, and what started as a slow-paced movie turns into a gory spectacle. The two newly awakened women are killed, and it’s down to Frida and Sarah to survive. Frida finds a Polaroid of herself with different hair and nails, suggesting she had been on the island before. It is revealed that she and the other women are part of a long-standing plot where they’re brought back to the island repeatedly to serve as slaves, with no recollection due to drugs and the continual use of the provided perfume. Frida tricks Slater into taking some of his own medicine, which causes him memory issues. Slater hits his head and is knocked unconscious. Frida and Sarah pull Slater from his burning quarters while his surviving friend burns to death.
The closing scene shows Frida with Slater at the annual charity function sponsored by Slater. She’s now the CEO of Slater’s company. He’s become her slave as she feeds him the same drugs he once fed her. Frida has found her place in the world.
The director Kravitz attempts to meld two major themes with a clever delivery. Much of the movie’s messaging centers around the concept of women trusting each other and sticking together. Simply put, when the women don’t trust each other or take each other seriously, they die. When they finally form a team, it’s too late for all of them to survive, but some make it out okay. The other theme centers around subjugation, and I’d imagine much of the inspiration for this movie came from the story of Jeffrey Epstein and the horrors that took place on his private island. Both themes are delivered within what is a slightly choppy and unfocused narrative.
It would be difficult for me to rewatch this movie, with only the clever twist and the possibility of catching details missed the first time as motivation. Its satire is occasionally sharp but overall, there are dark comedies that better deliver. The acting is better than okay, with Tatum delivering the best performance as a charming and yet creepy billionaire. Kravitz shows some promise as a director but has work to do if she wants to make a name for herself in that profession.
