Good for Her!

Film: Blink Twice
Format: DVD from DeKalb Public Library on basement television.

There’s a sub-genre of movies, typically horror and thriller movies, that are colloquially called “good for her” movies. Essentially, a good for her movie is one where a female main character faces significant adversity and ends up successfully getting what she wants, more or less, by the end. Well-known and popular examples of the sub-genre include Midsommar, Swallow, Ready or Not, Jennifer’s Body, and You’re Next. Blink Twice is a clear addition to that list, a film where women are put in terrible danger and fight their way through.

We’re going to start out with some background information about a man named Slater King (Channing Tatum), a tech billionaire who has stepped down as CEO of his company for some unspecified problematic behavior. While it’s not really discussed, the implication is some sexual impropriety; basically, he got me-too'd. While not CEO any more, King is still involved in his company, and we’re going to spend some time at a party where he encounters Frida (Naomi Ackie), a cocktail waitress, and our main character.

Frida and her friend Jess (Alia Shawkat) are invited to King’s private island where their phones are taken away. This is a place where he spends a great deal of his time now that he has stepped down from his company. Along for the ride are a number of other women who appear to be a part of King’s group as well as a number of people connected to his company or his life. These include DJ Tom (Haley Joel Osment), private chef Cody (Simon Rex), photographer Vic (Christian Slater), and Slater King’s therapist (Kyle MacLachlan). Among the other women are a reality show winner (Adria Arjona), and an app developer (Liz Caribel), as well as Slater’s assistant Stacy (Geena Davis).

The island, of course, is a paradise. Everyone spends their day drinking and using a variety of drugs, and pretty soon, one day blends into another. Frida slowly realizes that she’s losing track of time, and there are things about the island that don’t quite seem to make a lot of sense—an odd perfume that everyone seems to use, a maid who seems to know her, closets full of clothing that fit her and Jess. Everything changes one night when Jess is bitten by a local venomous snake. The venom isn’t strong enough to be serious, and since there’s no hospital, there’s not much anyone can do. She wants to go home, but Frida convinces her to stay.

And then Jess goes missing. Frida has no memory of Jess leaving the island, and none of the other women on the island seem to remember her despite all of them using a lighter that has Jess’s name on it. Slowly, Frida, reality show contestant Sarah, and then eventually the other women start to piece together exactly what is happening on the island.

Blink Twice is very clearly making a comment on a particular event of the past decade. This is immediately obvious the moment that the reality of where everyone is has been revealed but revealing it here would absolutely be a spoiler. Rather than risk someone’s eyes glancing over this, I’m not going to talk about it here. This isn’t a movie to have spoiled.

There’s a great deal to like with Blink Twice. It’s the directorial debut of Zoë Kravitz and this does not play like a directorial debut. This is a film made by someone who already has some developed directorial chops, one of the more impressive debuts of the last few years.

It’s also an interesting choice of roles for a number of actors. This is not the sort of role that Channing Tatum is known for. The same is true for Geena Davis, Christian Slater, and Haley Joel Osment. I like seeing these people back on screen as well. Christian Slater has some chops despite his time out of the spotlight, and having him back is a good thing. The same is true of Osment. I’m also a Geena Davis fan, and I like seeing her on screen in general.

One interesting thing is that Blink Twice begins with a trigger warning, and it’s well-warranted. If you watch this, take the time to look at that trigger warning and assess it carefully. If you have a history that might cause you to have an issue with what happens on screen, this is a film to skip regardless of how good it is. I’m happy to have seen this, but I also don’t know that it’s one I want to watch any time soon, regardless of its place in the “good for her!” genre.

Why to watch Blink Twice : Good for her!
Why not to watch: There’s a moment here where if you’re not genuinely upset, you’re not someone I’d like to spend time with.