Blink Twice

BLINK TWICE

Directed by Zoë Kravitz

Originally titled PUSSY ISLAND, what an audacious and deeply darkly funny directorial debut Zoë Kravitz has given us. An island nightmare where everyone is smiling and the more they ask "are you having a good time?" the more you realize everything is way off.

Naomi Ackie stars as Frida, a spacey nail tech and cocktail waitress completely infatuated with tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum, tanned and veneered). One night she works one of his gala events with bestie Alia Shawkat (an always welcome presence and should be in more movies). The girls end up befriending King and his entourage and get whisked away to his private island for some R&R.

To go any further into the plot would wade directly into spoiler territory...To keep it simple, days turn into nights and it all starts to blur together for Frida. The vibes are off but everyone is having such a great time. Kravitz takes her time getting to the good stuff, and some fat could've been trimmed on the run time but once the sinister plans come into focus the movie veers into a bruise black comedy/revenge fantasy. I found myself laughing while also feeling very uncomfortable and I have to imagine that was the goal.

Stacked top to bottom with an incredible supporting cast (Christian Skater, Haley Joel Osment, Simon Rex, Kyle MacLachlan and GEENA FREAKIN DAVIS) and nicely stylized without overdoing it, Kravitz clearly has the sauce and a vision. BLINK TWICE could have been tighter, maybe the messages a bit clearer but this is a bold original movie that is not afraid to really go for it. Excited to see what else Kravitz has up her sleeve.

⭐⭐⭐/4