One of the best debuts of a first-time director this century is Jordan Peele’s Exit. In her directorial debut with Flash twiceZoë Kravitz seems to be heavily inspired by Peele’s Oscar-winning film. That’s a high bar that Kravitz unfortunately doesn’t reach.
Flash twice is a film that you either love or hate; you either get into it and enjoy the mix of psychological mystery, humor and violence that unfolds, or you find yourself left out as the film’s lack of character depth and uneven tone make it more of a tense trial. I fall into the latter category.
In addition to directing, Kravitz also co-wrote the Flash twice Screenplay with ET Feigenbaum. The story follows cocktail waitress Frida (Naomi Ackie) who meets and charms tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) at a gala event. After they hit it off, Slater invites Frida and her friend Jess (Alia Shawkat) to his private island for a weekend with his friends. But what seems like paradise soon becomes disturbing when Jess disappears, but only Frida seems to remember her. Flash twice also with Adria Arjona, Christian Slater, Simon Rex, Geena Davis, Haley Joel Osment, Liz Caribel, Levon Hawke, Trew Mullen and Kyle MacLachlan.
Although Frida is the main character, we don’t feel like we really get to know her. She’s clearly striving for a better life for herself, which is why she wants to get Slater’s attention, but aside from a nod to her traumatic childhood and her stated desire to no longer be “invisible,” her character is hardly individual.
The same can be said about pretty much everyone else. Jess is more there to comment/warn Frida that these things are weird; Arjona’s Sarah is the badass woman who prides herself on being able to take care of herself; and most of the guys are different versions of privileged elites. That could well be the point of the thing, that the group of men and women symbolize the different archetypes of their genders. But it keeps them at a distance for the audience and makes us care less about what happens to them as individuals throughout the story.
Then there’s the tonal imbalance, especially in the second and third acts. As things start to get weird and the truth begins to emerge, Kravitz tries to inject humor into the film. It feels forced, though, as the dialogue is deliberately delivered in a funny way to ease the tension. It works occasionally, but they overdo it a few times.
What the film deserves credit for, however, is its directness. It isn’t exactly subtle in its message. While that can be a hindrance at times, here it’s a plus as you don’t have to figure out what’s happening. The message is very clear and that allows you to enjoy the chaos that unfolds once the truth comes to light.
Kravitz didn’t play it safe with her directorial debut. She took on a story that required a lot of groundwork for the audience to make the impact worthwhile (which I think she largely succeeded in doing) and she is very clear in her message. However, this seemed to come at the expense of characters and a consistent, satisfying tone, which in this case is too much for me to get over. There may be people who enjoy the film simply for the experience, but I would be hard-pressed to believe that this is the film that will stick in our minds at the end of the year.
Flash twice will be released exclusively in the US and UK on August 23rd.
