Zoë Kravitz Examines Toxic Male Dominance in Her Directorial Debut ‘Blink Twice’

In a political climate where women’s body autonomy is being threatened, the time is ripe to examine toxic male dominance and its effects on women. The new thriller Blink Twice does just that.

It's a psychological deep dive from the mind of Zoë Kravitz , who stepped behind the camera to write and make her directorial debut with the new film.

“Why wouldn't we wanna talk about that,” Kravitz exclaims to EBONY. “I'm a woman, and I think the whole point of art is to talk about the things that matter to us and our experiences in the world." Kravitz continues that it’s a project conceived from a place “of truth and honesty and being frustrated that it didn't already exist.”

Here, the writer-director discusses how long it took to complete her passion project and what she hopes people take away from the film.

EBONY: You spent seven years getting this project off the ground. Why was it so important for you to make this movie?

Zoë Kravitz : I didn't even think about whether it would be made when I first started writing. It was just about needing to put these emotions in a place...wanting to explore power dynamics and the absurdity of what society asks or demands of women and what we accept that has become normal for us. Sometimes you have an idea, or you start something, and then you don't finish it and forget about it. But this just stayed with me. I never got tired of it, and it never felt boring. There was always more to explore. It was like this rope or something that I just kind of kept following until I got to this exact moment with you.

Were there any challenges amplified by being a Black woman navigating Hollywood?

I definitely feel that being a Black woman, not everyone received me being in charge. My job is to tell people what to do. And it was so interesting on a film like this, still seeing that I was expected to do that politely. And I don't mean being rude, but with a smile and saying, “Hi, could you please?” I think a lot of men would be able to say, “This isn't right. Where is the thing?” and [people] would say, “Yes, sir, you're a genius.” When a woman's like, “No, this isn't right, where's the thing,” they're like, “What's your problem, b#*&h.” I was often reminded of why I wanted to make this movie as I was making it.

The movie has a cult-like nineties feel to it. How would you describe your directorial style?

The words you just used were spot on. Being a child of the nineties and growing up watching those kinds of films…I love films that have a wink to them and let you know that the filmmaker also knows this is a movie and anything can happen here. I was inspired by Pulp Fiction and Boogie Nights , movies that play with tone and texture.

What do you want people to take away from the film?

I want people to be entertained. I want people to have a great time watching it. I want people to let themselves feel whatever they feel. I don't think the point is to tell people what they're supposed to feel. It was very important to me that this film didn't feel like a lecture, or I'm telling you, this is how it's supposed to be. There's no finger-wagging here. This is just an exploration. If people leave the theater having some kind of conversation, that's all that matters.

Blink Twice is now playing in theaters.

Editor's Note: The film has released a trigger warning on X to alert moviegoers to the sexual violence portrayed in the film.