Should we (re)watch Blink Twice, Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut?

By Violaine Schütz, 

and The Editorial Team.

Published on 27 January 2026. Updated on 1 April 2026.

From Divergent, Mad Max: Fury Road, X-Men: First Class, The Batman, to the show High Fidelity… Zoë Kravitz has long proven herself to be an accomplished actress, in addition to being a talented singer and fashion icon. And the star has more strings to her bow. On August 21st, 2024, she made a resounding debut as a director and screenwriter with her first feature film, Blink Twice (originally titled Pussy Island). A psychologically intense and tightly controlled thriller that made a powerful impression on both critics and audiences.

Blink Twice, Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut

Streaming on Amazon Prime Video in January 2026, the film, directed by the Yves Saint Laurent Beauty and Saint Laurent muse, follows Frida, a young Los Angeles waitress who loves animal-print nail art and has a crush on Slater King (Channing Tatum). Slater, a billionaire entrepreneur, unsettling womanizer and owner of a private island, is a central figure in the tech world. Yet, he dreams of disappearing from it all.

Frida manages to enter the inner circle of this mysterious man. Soon, she decides to go to his private island along with a friend for a lavish party with his very rich, drunk and high friends. But nothing goes as planned. The island, along with the elite circle it conceals, hide terrible secrets. “Despite the idyllic setting, the beauty of the people, the endless champagne, and the wild dance parties, Frida senses that there’s something far more sinister lurking beneath the surface,” the synopsis reads.

“I try to be bold in most things I take on.” — Zoë Kravitz

Without any spoilers, the horrors to come are nightmarish and symbolic, to say the least. Indeed, these are acts of violence and abuse inflicted on women, who are then forced by powerful men to forget everything. A scenario that inevitably echoes the traumatic crimes committed by Harvey Weinstein and Jeffrey Epstein, as well as the culture of silence that prevailed for so long.

Partly filmed in the Yucatán jungle, Blink Twice addresses gender inequalities and dynamics head-on. A bloody depiction which veers into the realm of social satire, like The White Lotus or Glass Onion. A punchy way to tackle urgent and burning issues.

Yet, Zoë Kravitz wrote the script for this fiercely feminist and outspoken film alongside American screenwriter E.T. Feigenbaum over the course of several years, well before the #MeToo movement. In a recent interview with Numéro, Zoë Kravitz declared: “I try to be bold in most things I take on. I recently wrote and directed a film, and it took a certain amount of courage to step off the beaten path and move into directing. Any time someone – though I’m thinking specifically of women – tries something they’re not sure they can pull off, they’re taking a risk that requires bravery. There’s a lot of pressure on women to do everything perfectly, all the time. So when we venture outside our comfort zone, it’s no small feat.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMcmfonGWY4

Naomi Ackie and Channing Tatum in the cast

With this powerful, horrifying, and political film, Zoë Kravitz pulls off a masterstroke reminiscent of Jordan Peele‘s work, leaving the viewer in shock. To conjure fear, the new director can count on an outstanding cast, including Adria Arjona, Christian Slater, Kyle MacLachlan, and Geena Davis.

She revealed that she wrote the role of Slater with actor Channing Tatum in mind, who eventually became her partner. The director is now reportedly dating singer Harry Styles. Known for his roles in Magic Mike, 21 Jump Street, Step Up, and currently starring in To the Moon, Channing Tatum even collaborated with her to develop his character. His manipulative and twisted personality is truly chilling.

To embody the complex heroine Frida, Zoë Kravitz chose the brilliant and versatile actress Naomi Ackie, seen in the biopic Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody. Shifting from naive, love-struck victim to badass, castrating warrior, Naomi Ackie delivers a cathartic performance worthy of Kill Bill. Her character’s arc, from oppression to awareness and control, becomes a form of on-screen revenge for all the women who suffered from abuse.

Blink Twice (2024) by Zoë Kravitz, available on Amazon Prime Video.