I couldn’t help thinking about the warped Jeffrey Epstein while watching Zoe Kravitz’s psychological thriller Blink Twice.
The film concerns billionaire tech mogul Slater King (Channing Tatum), who steps aside after a major error of judgment. He ups his philanthropy, buys a private island and makes a series of very public apologies for his actions. Then, at a fundraising gala he meets cocktail waitress Frida (Naomi Ackie) and the sparks fly. He invites Frida and her roommate Jess (Alia Shawkat) to join him and his friends for a luxury getaway at his utopia, where mobile phones are banned.
The sprawling modern mansion is surrounded by gardens and everything is laid on for his guests – men and women. The island becomes party central. Each woman has her own private room, clothing and perfume. Fine food and champagne are plentiful, not to overlook drugs. Slater King’s mantra is to forget the past and live for the moment. Plenty of wild nights, sun-soaked days and laughter follow, but not everything is as it appears.
Jess makes it clear to Frida that she’s feeling uncomfortable and would like to go home. But Frida – who’s relishing the attention – convinces her to stay. Big mistake! The strange things that Jess has noticed are no longer restricted to her. Suddenly all the women find themselves caught in a nightmare.
Written by Kravitz and E.T. Feigenbaum (High Fidelity), Blink Twice is about power and control. Kravitz (daughter of Lenny Kravitz) has grown up in the public eye, surrounded by influential people. Her concept was to turn the Garden of Eden into the gates of hell and to isolate and pick off the characters, a la Lord of the Flies.
Blink Twice builds the heightened sense of reality nicely. The film is steeped in unease from the get-go, but there’s a tipping point when happiness is replaced by terror.
In a strong showing, Tatum neatly settles into his smug and entitled character. Naomi Ackie brings an open-hearted naivete to her representation of Frida. Alia Shawkat revels in the persona of Frida’s bestie and Adria Ariona comes into her own as love rival / street fighter, Sarah. Several big names appear in other secondary roles. Christian Slater plays Val, one of Slater King’s lecherous pals; Kyle MacLachlan his dubious therapist Rich; and a bearded Haley Joel Osment his grinning mate, Tom. And then there’s Geena Davis as his awkward facilitator Stacy. My mind turned to Ghislaine Maxwell.
The film’s production values are high. It looks good and features a potent soundtrack.
Blink Twice is very much a movie of our times – bold, showy and distressing. Zoe Kravitz has made an impressive start to her directorial career.
Alex First
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Alex First is a Melbourne based journalist and communications specialist. He contributes to The Blurb on film and theatre.