It’s difficult to talk about “Blink Twice”.

The less the viewer knows about the exciting thriller, the better.

On the other hand, Zoë Kravitz’s stunningly impressive directorial debut is definitely worth talking about.

“Blink Twice” is in theaters this week and is many things: thoroughly entertaining, occasionally quite funny, increasingly terrifying, highly thought-provoking and ultimately moving and haunting.

Kravitz, an actress known for television series such as “Big Little Lies” and films such as “The Batman,” also starred in “Blink Twice” and will almost certainly draw countless comparisons to 2017’s “Get Out,” the similarly exceptional work of another first-time director, Jordan Peele.

But while Peele takes a highly creative approach to examining the dynamic between white and black, Kravitz turns her lens on the ugly relationship that – as we have better understood in recent years – can exist between women and powerful men.

In her directorial statement for “Blink Twice,” Kravitz – the daughter of rock star Lenny Kravitz and actress Lisa Bonet – talks about spending her entire life in rooms full of powerful people, understanding her surroundings more clearly as she grew older and, perhaps most notably, finding herself “having conversations with women I knew, or sometimes women I didn’t know, just with our eyes. A language we are all unfortunately fluent in because it’s not safe to say those thoughts out loud. To do so would be to break the rules of the game.”

Working with co-writer ET Feigenbaum — who also co-wrote the Hulu series adaptation of “High Fidelity,” in which Kravitz starred — Kravitz has crafted a narrative that, as she puts it, asks what would happen “if Eve woke up and realized that the Garden of Eden is, um, kind of (expletive)” and that Adam is a real problem.

In “Blink Twice,” Eve is cocktail waitress Frida (Naomi Ackie) and Adam is tech billionaire Slater (Channing Tatum). The Garden of Eden? Slater’s private island, which he bought as a sanctuary where Slater can undergo therapy and reflect after a professional scandal for which he has repeatedly apologized publicly.

Frida is very interested in Slater, has read news and video clips about him and then worked at a private event organized by his foundation.

During the fundraising gala, she and her best friend Jess (Alia Shawkat, “Search Party”) slip out of their catering uniforms, put on dresses, and start mingling with the elite. Things quickly go wrong for Frida, but Slater kindly helps her out of an awkward situation and takes an interest in her.

We soon realize that he enjoys looking at her as much as she enjoys looking at him.

As he and his cronies bid farewell to Frida and Jess, as it’s time for them to escape to the island paradise, Slater returns and invites them to come along, hoping he’s not too… well, kind of. Of course they agree, and after a flight aboard his private jet, they find themselves in said theoretical paradise, home to Slater’s blood-red estate and staff who behave more than a little oddly.

Uh, it’s probably nothing.

Slater’s male friends are Vic (Christian Slater, “Mr. Robot”), a little goofball who is always taking Polaroid photos; Tom (Haley Joel Osment, “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile”), who masks his aggressive tendencies with sweetness; Lucas (Levon Hawke, “The Crowded Room”), a largely useless Slater protégé; and Cody (Simon Rex, “Red Rocket”), who cooks carefully prepared and imaginative meals for the group. The other women in the group are Sarah (Adria Arjona, “Hit Man”), who is in top shape after several seasons on the series “Hot Survival Babes”; Camilia (Liz Caribel Sierra), a fun-loving type; and Heather (Trew Mullen), a stoner who likes to take on the nickname “Blunt Queen.”

Also in Slater’s circle is Stacy (Geena Davis), his sister and assistant, and we don’t really know what to make of her – at least not at first.

Although we hear the titular line at the fundraiser when Slater introduces Frida to his therapist (Kyle MacLachlan), “Blink Twice” suggests that you should do your best to pay attention to visual clues as this story progresses. What’s the deal with the perfume Frida finds in her room and uses liberally, for example? And surely Jess’s perpetually missing lighter will have some significance, right?

We can’t wait to watch the film a second time, as it might reveal clues we missed at the beginning. But as the film progresses, everything becomes painfully clear: Not long after some of its most humorous moments, Blink Twice pulls back the curtain and reveals the harsh truth.

Kravitz masterfully shifts tonality, with great help from collaborators like cinematographer Adam Newport-Berra, composer Chanda Dancy, production designer Roberto Bonelli and editor Kathryn J. Schubert. Blink Twice is consistently captivating, both aurally and emotionally.

This is also thanks to the strong work of lead actors Ackie (“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” “End of the F*cking World”), who makes us feel every single one of Frida’s emotions at every turn, and Tatum (“Fly Me to the Moon,” “Magic Mike”), who delivers one of the strongest performances of his career in the role of his fiancé Kravitz.

Once you know what is going on in Blink Twice and how it works, can you understand the mechanics behind it? Probably. But that would be missing the point.

Rest assured that the conflict-ridden final act, while not the film’s best moment, leads to a nourishing conclusion.

It also gives us a line that Tatum delivers perfectly that stays with us for days and will probably stay with us for a while.

As with so many parts of Blink Twice, we’re dying to talk about it, but really shouldn’t.

“Blink Twice” is rated R for strong violence, sexual harassment, drug use and language throughout, and some sexual references. Running time: 1 hour, 42 minutes.