Film Review: Forgetting Is Not Really A Gift

Blink Twice is a pretty interesting yet gruesome thriller directed by Zoe Kravitz, which she also co-wrote with E.T. Feigenbaum. It has a fairly impressive cast which includes Channing Tatum, Naomie Ackie, Christian Slater, Haley Joel Osment, Adria Arjona, Geena Davis, and Kyle MacLachlan.

A couple of banquet waitresses who are best friends and roommates meet a tech mogul played by Tatum and are invited to his private paradise island. The getaway starts off quite nicely with all sorts of extravagant luxury and a fair bit of intoxication. It’s just a typical getaway with a bunch of rich, immature middle-aged delinquents. It does seem kind of fun until the main heroine, Frida, loses track of her friends and discovers some gaps in her memory. There is a maid that seems to recognize but does not speak English. The vacation starts to get a good deal creepier until Frida’s memory block collapses with the aid of some snake venom. She gains an ally as well and finds that her vacation has a far more sinister motivation behind it.

This is Kravitz’s first effort as a director, and it isn’t too bad. The beginning does seem to drag a little, but it does get better once more of the mystery becomes evident. Ackie ends up being an effective lead. Tatum even shows a bit of surprising range as the story unfolds.

There are some strange camera angles and lots of cutaways that are bit jarring. Some of that is understandable considering that much of the story deals with fragmented memories. I thought Kravitz was a little too liberal with the close-ups at times. I wasn’t a fan of some of the technical decisions involving the shooting of the film.

Overall, the film is not bad. There were some moments of real effective suspense. The performances were pretty good for the most part. It was kind of cool to see Slater and Osment in this because it seems like it’s been a while since I have seen them in a major film release. They probably have been working more than I remember, but it just seemed to me aa long time since I have seen them on the big screen.

There were some loose ends in the story as well. The ending seems to leave some pretty glaring unanswered questions. I was dubious of some of the layers in the story.

It’s an odd film but effective and pretty interesting. It does have more going for it than not, but some of the flaws are a little hard to ignore or forgive.

I think Kravitz’s directorial debut is a success all things considered. Tatum may actually have some range as an actor. I doubt this will be a major classic, but I think Kravitz can have some legitimate pride here.