Movie Review

Luxury and deceit collide in Zoë Kravitz’s new movie Blink Twice

Naomi Ackie and Channing Tatum in Blink Twice.

There have been an increasing number of movies critical of the ultra-rich in recent years, including Triangle of Sadness, The Menu, and the Oscar-winning Parasite. But it’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery which the new film Blink Twice most closely resembles, with each featuring a billionaire bringing out a group of people to his private island for nefarious reasons.

The film’s main character is Frida (Naomi Ackie), a cocktail waitress at a space that hosts a variety of private events, including an annual gathering for the tech company owned by Slater King (Channing Tatum). Despite unsavory allegations against him, Frida is enamored with the handsome billionaire, and with the help of her co-worker and friend Jess (Alia Shawkat), she manages to get into his inner circle.

Soon, Slater is inviting the two to his island alongside a group that includes Vic (Christian Slater), Sarah (Adriana Arjona), Cody (Simon Rex), Stacy (Geena Davis), Tom (Haley Joel Osment), and more. What at first appears to be the ultimate in luxury starts to turn into a strange experience, with the women all given identical outfits to wear, a den of venomous snakes slithering around the property, and repetitive events leading to the loss of a sense of time.

Directed and co-written by Zoë Kravitz, who’s making her feature film debut in both roles, the film makes no bones about how it views billionaires and their hangers-on. Despite his looks and charming nature, it’s clear from the get-go that Slater is not someone to be trusted. For much of the story, he treats Frida, Jess, and everyone else in the manner of the consummate host, and yet there is a slew of hints that not everything is on the up-and-up.

Kravitz and co-writer E.T. Feigenbaum take their time before letting the other shoe drop, and while a lot of what they show is intriguing, it feels like they’re missing the second act in the three-act structure. The sameness of the group’s activities – laying out by the pool, eating meals, lots of drinking and drugs – becomes wearisome even as Frida starts to investigate the island more intently.

It’s all leading up to a big twist that, without spoiling anything, is confusing and underwhelming at the same time. The implications of the twist would seem to be horrifying, but the actual logistics that would make it a reality don’t appear to have been thought through fully. It also brings up a whole host of questions that wouldn’t exist if Kravitz and her team had tried for a cleaner ending.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with Ackie’s performance, but it feels like a step down from her stronger starring role in Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody. Tatum is suitably suave and creepy, a bit of a turn for an actor who typically plays the hero. The stacked supporting cast delivers some good performances, most notably Shawkat, Arjona, and Slater.

Blink Twice shows some promise for Kravitz as a technical filmmaker, but she has some refining to do on the storytelling front. The film eventually gets to a decent woman empowerment theme, but the missteps along the way make that argument less strong than it should be.

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Blink Twice opens in theaters on August 23.

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Movie Review

Twin sisters set out for revenge in Tarantino-esque film 'Is God Is'

Photo by Patti Perret

Kara Young and Mallori Johnson in Is God Is.

The revenge story is one of the most enduring in all of cinema as it can be adapted to multiple different genres. It most naturally fits in the action/thriller genre, but comedies, dramas, Westerns, and more have made good use of characters seeking revenge. The new film Is God Is demonstrates that malleability by detailing an intensely personal story that turns into something bigger.

Twins Racine (Kara Young) and Anaia (Mallori Johnson) have lived a difficult life, going in and out of foster care and forced to endure stares and taunts because each bears burn scars from a childhood attack. Racine, whose scars are “only” on her left arm, has developed into the protector of Anaia, who suffered burns over much of her face.

An unexpected call from their mother, Ruby (Vivica A. Fox), who was burned almost beyond recognition in the attack, gives them a purpose: Seeking revenge on the man who ruined their lives. Setting out in a barely working car and with only a small amount of direction, the sisters attempt to fulfill the mission without losing their souls.

Written and directed by first-time feature filmmaker Aleasha Harris, the film may remind some viewers of Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, and not just because Fox has small roles in both films. Harris has a knack for dialogue, especially between the twins, that ably gets across the story exposition and entertains at the same time. There are many instances where she has the sisters hold silent conversations told on screen via subtitles to convey twin-speak, a method that deepens their connection and draws the viewer in.

Harris also has her characters engage in the type of shocking violence that Tarantino has used to great effect. The difference here, though, is that even though the story is heightened to a certain degree, the egregious nature of the crime perpetrated upon the girls and their mother makes the whole thing feel bracingly real. This revenge plot is not meant to merely entertain; it’s designed to put the audience in Racine and Anaia’s shoes and fully embrace the call for justice.

There are a few times when the lack of experience by Harris shows up, especially in the climactic sequence where the stunt work could have used some more precision. But overall, it’s a self-assured filmmaking debut for the playwright-turned-director, who’s adapted her own play with a richness and depth that is not often found from someone stepping behind the camera for the first time.

Young and Johnson don’t especially look alike, but they embody the essence of twin sisters, and it’s their chemistry together that makes the story as impactful as it is. They’re joined by other strong female performances by Fox, Erika Alexander, and Janelle Monáe, each of whom brings a different vibe. And anyone who loves This is Us or Paradise should prepare themselves for a completely different kind of role for Sterling K. Brown.

Is God Is uses a variety of inspirations for its storytelling, but in the end it becomes its own thing. The filmmaking world can always stand to have another strong Black voice, and Harris has made an auspicious debut, one that should have cinephiles wondering what she’ll do next.

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Is God Is opens in theaters on May 15.

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