Blink Twice: A Provocative Mixed Bag

This isn't an original quip, but watching Zoe Kravitz's Blink Twice is a lot like watching a Hitchcock movie that eventually decides to turn into a Tarantino movie. As for the trigger warning prominently featured at its start, that's a completely new cinematic aesthetic whose roots I'm still trying to find. I jest, but I've had my own problems to deal with in life, and sexual assault has luckily not been one of them, though I don't imagine things would end too well for a would-be assailant if they stumbled upon an unquenchable thirst for me. I guess what I'm trying to say is that this movie is one that wasn't made for me, to use the much-maligned but not entirely inappropriate phrase. On one hand, I'm glad that this movie is trying to start a discussion about sexual violence, and on the other, I wish that it hadn't been so content to critique blatant stereotypes and avoid more substantial conversations. But whatever you may think of how Blink Twice handles the issues it's trying to address, no one can deny its technical prowess, and I don't want to be that critic here, the critic who gives the movie a perfect score because they thought it's worldview relevant or a zero because they conversely found that same worldview repugnant. I want to be more nuanced in a world that's largely given up on the idea. And so that's what I'll do because there are good things to be said about this movie as well as bad. I know, the idea's revolutionary in today's world, isn't it?

Visually and auditory-wise, Blink Twice is incredibly proficient. The sound design of this movie is excellent, and even surprisingly creative at times. For instance, at one point near the beginning of the movie, Frida - the main character - watches an interview featuring Slater King, a billionaire techie who has recently resigned from his CEO position over a company due to some less-than-desirable behavior. Slater is shot in 4K, as is standard for movies these days, but the audio sounds like it's coming from a phone, and the trick is an effective one. The visual style of this movie is likewise very strong, putting anamorphic lenses - lenses that compress the image to make it look more like what your eye would see - to excellent use in ways that grant Blink Twice a truly cinematic air.

Substance-wise, Blink Twice is more hit-and-miss once Frida arrives at Slater's totally-safe private island via invitation. The supporting characters of the movie are relegated to their role in the plot, and they may as well have been wearing nametags with the varying cultural messages they're trying to portray written on them. The movie is obviously trying to raise some critiques with these characters, but it can be hard to say anything of value with admittedly eye-roll-worthy generalizations that don't really represent anyone at all.

But even if the supporting cast of the movie is a tad lacking, Blink Twice doesn't seem to have any issues with creating interpersonal drama between these characters. It establishes entire conflicts visually without even saying a word, putting the trick of show-don't-tell to excellent use. It's also good at creating a pervasive sense of unease. You know something isn't right. The details don't add up, and the very tiniest of details are just off. The movie plays with your assumptions about it, and in time, the suspicions of both you and Frida become more and more prevalent until they flat-out explode into violence that is, while not entirely unexpected, still loathefully effective.

However, for as much delicateness as Blink Twice treats its details, I missed that same fragility with the message that this movie so clearly cares about. Not every last conclusion it comes to is wrong, but most of these conclusions aren't elaborated on in any meaningful way. To put it bluntly, this movie too often flirts with the idea of "man bad," and though to say that this is all the movie says and does would be wrong, a lot of journalists will and have used this movie to broadcast far and wide a man-shaming narrative that they like to pretend is shocking a crowd that already agrees with them. Blink Twice would have been better off diving into the unexpected ins and outs of high-profile sexual abuse as well, namely female groomers like Ghislaine Maxwell and Kelly Johana Suarez who entice other women into the trap that men have already set. I guess what I'm trying to say is that this movie would have started a truly valuable conversation if it didn't play into the projected and imaginary man-vs-woman construct, and would have been better off using a thematic dagger instead of a hammer.

Blink Twice is a touch predictable, and that's not entirely a bad thing. The movie makes some promises and then fulfills them in satisfying and shockingly violent ways that may have even referenced The Shining, though you should take that particular interpretation of mine with a grain of salt. What's more, it's excellent technical elements more than keep its head above water. Perfect reviews of this movie are inflated attempts to avoid dialogue of value, and one-star reviews are needless hyperbole from those upset about either the message of the movie or the fact that Blink Twice didn't recite point-for-point the message they wanted it to.

Ultimately, I have mixed feelings about Blink Twice. On the one hand, its story is simple and streamlined, and its visuals and audio work extremely well-handled. On the other hand, this movie is very predictable and doesn't give any answers to hard questions other than the reactionary and shallow "man bad" speech we've heard so many times over. One need not look any further than Rotten Tomatoes to find feminist critics who like to cave to confirmation bias using the movie as a platform to first generalize and then attack men as a whole without so much as a hint of much-needed subtlety or clarification. I'm more than a little bit fed up with these kinds of people and wish that they'd use their job as film critics to critique films instead of people. But if nothing else, Blink Twice did start a conversation, even if it wasn't as valuable a conversation as I'd hoped. It's a perfectly sound-enough directorial debut from Zoe Kravitz, and honestly, I'm totally down to see what she does next. Granted, this movie isn't for everyone. It contains pretty straightforward R-rated language and violence to go along with some reasonably graphic sexual assaults. But such is the nature of the subject matter, and so I don't fault this movie for its content-wise excess in the slightest.

The movie prominently features a photographer. To all the ultra-rich folk out there, don't let him see you for what you really are. Just hide your eyes and pose for the picture.

Blink Twice - 6/10

2 Corinthians 5:10