This article contains spoilers for Blink Twice
This article contains discussions of sexual assault and abuse.
Blink Twice, Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut, left viewers wondering why Geena Davis' Stacy would help Slater King (Channing Tatum) abuse the women he brought to the private island. Considering Stacy’s minor role in the movie, it’s a fair question, though Kravitz and her writing partner, E.T. Feigenbaum, provide some clues. In the acclaimed psychological thriller,Blink Twice’s cast of characters, including down-on-her-luck waitress Frida (Naomi Ackie), are whisked off to tech mogul Slater King’s private island.What seems like a few days of debauchery is revealed to be much more sinisterinBlink Twice’s ending.
Plied with flutes of seemingly endless champagne and drugs of unknown origins, the women guests seem to be having a great time, until Frida and Sarah (Adria Arjona) realize something’s off.Blink Twicehints at its twistthroughout the film’s runtime before finally confirming thatSlater and his male friends abuse and assault the women nightly before erasing their memories. Created from the island’s flowers,Blink Twice’s memory-erasing perfumeallows Slater to evade accountability, but it doesn’t quite explain why Stacy, the only woman who’s in on Slater’s plan, would help the men abuse the women visiting the island.
Stacy Is Slater King’s Sister In Blink Twice
Geena Davis' Character Is More Than Just Slater’s Assistant
Although the script isn’t very explicit about it, Geena Davis' Stacy is Slater King’s sister. Early casting announcements revealed that Davis would play the billionaire tech mogul’s sister and assistant (viaExclaim!), though the frazzled Stacy doesn’t make much of her connection to Slater in the film. When she’s first introduced at Slater’s gala,Stacy seems like a typical personal assistant. She micromanages Slater’s schedule, gives him advice, and handles any logistics at the drop of a hat. That includes arranging the island’s mysterious red gift bags, which, Frida learns, contain the memory-erasing perfume.
Not realizing it’s venom, Slater’s sister takes several shots — and then she rememberseverything.
As the movie continues, Stacy seems to be under a lot of pressure. Frida runs into Stacy as she’s struggling to carry gift bags and, later, encourages her to relax by the pool. Unable to take a break,Stacy is constantly on the move, though she disappears at night when the men carry out their abusive acts. Once Frida discovers that taking shots of snake venom is the antidote to the memory-erasing flowers, she encourages the other women to partake. Not realizing it’s venom, Slater’s sister takes several shots — and then she rememberseverything.
Stacy Wants To Forget About Her & Slater’s Childhood
In Blink Twice, It’s Implied That Slater & Stacy Were Both Abused By Their Father
Well beforeBlink Twice’s divisive final scene, another complicated moment involving Stacy arises. After the women revolt against the men at dinner, Stacy tracks Frida down. Instead of aiding the other women, Stacy tries to kill Frida and protect her brother. Although Frida is surprised by this turn,Blink Twicedoes a great job of telegraphing Stacy’s motivations. Slater explains that “forgetting is a gift.“To Slater, the flowers — and everything that’s made from them — are a miraculous way to erase trauma. Although Slater mostly administers the memory-erasing substance without consent, Stacy knows what she’s taking.
15 Best Movies Like Blink Twice
While writer-director Zoë Kravitz’s psychological thriller Blink Twice is a pretty singular film, a few other movies share some DNA with the story.
During a monologue, Slater insinuates that he and his sister were abused by their father and another adult friend of their father’s. While Slater, the younger of the siblings, was able to suppress those memories, Stacy remembers it all in vivid detail. A survivor, Stacy is unable to sit still with her thoughts. Slater feels bad for his sister, believing that he was the lucky one — the one who got to walk away without the constant burden of trauma.Stacy gladly uses the flower-derived serum because she wants to forget the violence and sexual abuse of her past.
[For Stacy] being lucid is more terrifying than being lulled into the false reality of the flower’s serum.
Once the snake venom works its wonders, Stacy is horrified to remember everything that’s happened to her. Being lucid is more terrifying than being lulled into the false reality of the flower’s serum. While most of the women on the island want to know what’s happened to them, Stacy takes the completely opposite approach.For Slater’s sister, ignorance is bliss.
Stacy’s Backstory Explains Why She’s The Only Woman Helping Slater King
Stacy Puts Herself Before Slater’s Victims In Blink Twice
One massive clue to Stacy’s backstory, and why she’s helping Slater King, is that she’s the only woman in her brother’s entourage. Although it’s shocking to Frida that Stacy would rather protect her brother than seek justice for the survivors he abused, Davis' character plays a critical, and all too real, role in Kravitz' film.Stacy represents the women who are complicit in the behavior of dangerous men. Whether to evade confrontation or abuse, women like Stacy turn a blind eye instead of taking a stand. Unlike Lucas (Levon Hawke), however, Stacy has her reasons for “doing nothing.”
I Want More Movies To Follow Blink Twice’s Lead With Trigger Warnings
Amazon MGM Studios made the compassionate choice to include a trigger warning at the start of Blink Twice, and other movies need to follow their lead.
As mentioned, Stacy wants to forget about the horrors of her past. And she isn’t being forced to work for Slater either. Unlike all the other women,Stacy chooses to be on the island, chooses to take the serum, and chooses to accept whatever fallout comesfrom her personal gain. Ultimately, Stacy’s decision to help her brother is self-motivated. As is true for many characters inBlink Twice, Stacy has a reason, but that doesn’t make her any less guilty of the terrible atrocities that occur on the island.
Source:Exclaim!
Blink Twice
Directed by Zoë Kravitz, Blink Twice is a drama thriller film, marking her first foray into the world of directing. The film follows a cocktail waitress invited to a tech billionaire’s private resort home to party with them - but after arriving, she begins to discover the dark truth behind the island.
