Jakarta. American actress Zoë Kravitz made her directorial debut with a “party-gone-wrong-movie”: “Blink Twice”.

The psychological thriller movie -- which is now playing in Indonesian theaters -- starts with a meet-cute moment between cocktail waitress Frida (Naomi Ackie) and tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum). Slater takes Frida on a dream vacation on his private island together with his party animal friends. Frida and the group are partying 24/7. But Frida begins to question that the summer paradise might seem too good to be true. 

“Blink Twice” starts off slow, and a large part of the screen time goes to show the islanders at lavish parties. Almost every scene shows off the bold colors of the resort island. The matching white sets worn by the ladies contrast with the vibrant colors of the mansion. The 102-minute long movie comes packed with wide, symmetrical shots -- quite pleasing to the eyes. 

“Blink Twice” reminds you of Jordan Peele’s “Get Out” and Ari Aster’s daylight folk horror “Midsommar” -- all start out with the characters having a good time, but something doesn’t feel quite right. However, the first half of “Blink Twice” fails to create the unsettling feel that already appears from the get-go, unlike the two other aforementioned films. But it turns out “Blink Twice” is the kind of movie that gets scarier as it goes. 

“Blink Twice” is a power imbalance tale -- be it between men and women or between the rich and poor. The big reveal really makes one’s stomach turn. The islanders’ day at the summer paradise island starts with pool parties. When the night comes, Slater and his friends sexually assault the women, including Frida. But the victims forget what happened the other night, and this cycle continues for days (or even months as the movie is never clear about how long they have been staying on the island). A snake venom helps Frida and the girls break the cycle as it helps wear off the victims’ memory loss. 

It is empowering to see the protagonist of a thriller movie fighting back and actually making smart decisions to take down the enemy. As soon as the women get a sense of what happens and plot their revenge, that’s when “Blink Twice” gets you at the edge of your seat. You might see yourself rooting for the ladies because there really is a special place in hell for Slater and his gang. “Blink Twice” does not really rely on jumpscares to create the horror. Despite the movie’s sluggish start, the story of how women get dehumanized but are kept in the dark about what is happening is already horrifying. 

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