Making her directorial debut is Zoe Kravitz with a mind bending and anxiety driven thriller with Blink Twice. 
 
 
The film opens with our main character Frida (Naomi Ackie) living with roommate and best friend, Jess (Alia Shawkat), in a not so glamorous apartment while working server jobs. Well, that situation changes when given the opportunity to work an event hosted by billionaire Slater (Channing Tatum) who runs a popular company but is known for his child like party behavior. Frida has a bit of crush on him and decides to change out of her server outfit into some nice formal attire to get her chance to meet him. Her strategy works and she is invited to his private island where he has been going for therapy because of his questionable behavior. Several other people also tag along to go to the island to relax and party. What appears to be a fun time with new friends - relaxing, eating, drinking, and dancing - seems to be all a bit too good. Frida is focused on competing with Sarah (Adria Arjona) for the affection of Slater, but Jess starts to notice that something seems to be a bit off. She’s not remembering what time of day it is and how long they’ve been on the island. What could be causing these lapses of time, and will Frida listen to her best friend? Who’s to say when one is having a strangely good time. 
 
 
Kravitz’s directorial debut is impressive. From start to finish this film really has you on the edge of your seat. I was really trying to figure out when this dream like state would finally fall apart and the people on the island would find out the sadistic nature of what was really going on. I think this was a testament to how well the actors and actresses made the script come to life. It is an emotional film. Plot wise, I was happy that I couldn’t solve the film in a matter of seconds. The downside was that the ending didn’t go the direction it could have to produce a better finish. There were some areas of the plot that left things unexplained, so you have to draw your own conclusions. I’m not saying that it’s flat out bad, but it does hurt the plot a little. I did enjoy the filming technique used. Close up shots forced the viewers to see things from the perspective of the actors. As a result, you don’t really get the full picture of what is going on. This really foreshadows the whole meaning of the story. This also represents real life issues that can be difficult for people to watch. There’s a warning that plays before the film starts letting viewers know that, so be aware that there is some disturbing imagery in this film. 
 
 
Overall, this is a great first film for Kravitz and I hope to see more from her soon. If you don’t see this in theater that’s fine. I view this more of a streaming type of film and not a film that requires the big screen for the experience.