How the #MeToo Movement Inspired Zoë Kravitz in ‘Blink Twice’

Inspiration can come from all sorts of places. From a place visited on vacation to an emotion felt, it can be expressed in all possible ways, whether negative or positive. For Zoë Kravitz and her new film Blink twiceThe idea for the script came from observing one of his greatest frustrations in Hollywood (not to mention society).

“By the summer of 2017, I had reached a point of frustration with the power dynamics of society and culture,” said Kravitz, who made her directorial debut in Blink twicesaid W Magazine. “I came home one day after talking to a friend, and I wrote down the original title of the film: Cat Island.”

A few months later, when the allegations against former media producer Harvey Weinstein came to light, Kravitz felt the need to tell a story about gender imbalances, sexism and abuse of power. “And then, when was it? In October, I think, when everything happened with Har — actually, I don’t want to say his name. I don’t want to give him any power,” she said.

“It was something that had to be revealed,” Kravitz said.

Blink twice tells the story of cocktail waitress Frida (Naomi Ackie) who meets tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) and joins him for what seems like a dream vacation on his private island. Once there, however, strange things start to happen and her life soon begins to hang in the balance.

“I wanted this thriller to be bright and beautiful, so beautiful that it was almost oppressive,” Kravitz said of his vision. “I wanted a vibrant, seductive world that then transforms into something terrifying. The sun, if you stay in it too long, burns you. If you eat too much, you feel sick. What you think you want can be the very thing that destroys you.”

Looking back, Kravitz said The New York Times Telling Frida Kahlo’s story was an eye-opening experience for her as an artist. “It was really interesting to have to rewrite the story based on what was happening culturally,” she told the outlet. “It reminded me that art is a living, breathing thing that’s constantly evolving.”

Blink twice is currently in theaters.