A FRANCHISE film frequenter - having made her name in acting with roles in the Divergent, Fantastic Beasts, X-Men, Mad Max and Batman series - Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut is fiercely independent. It’s a pleasing move in an era where vibrant talents are so often swallowed up by the studio machine.

The film is Blink Twice, a psychological thriller that proves to be as smartly shot as it is astutely cast. There are distinct Jordan Peele vibes here, with Get Out quickly feeling like an obvious touch point. Slowly but surely, however, Kravitz exposing her more unique and surprising teeth. Where Peele skewered contemporary racial inequalities, Kravitz exposes gender dynamics in the performative “Me Too” fallout.

Star Wars and Master of None star Naomi Ackie leads the film as Frida, a cocktail waitress who becomes infatuated with billionaire tech mogul Slater King, who is played by Channing Tatum. Frida is all too aware of King’s past indiscretions - we never learn these but are told of his many recent apologies for past ‘abuses of power’ - but seems curiously undeterred.

When a chance meeting sees King invite Frida, and best friend Jess (Alia Shawkat), to a party on his lush tropical island retreat, they’re all too ready to accept. After all, he’s charming, incredibly rich, and played by Channing Tatum.

On the island itself, all are build in King’s own megawatt image. They’re funny, engaging, and having a wonderful time. When King’s sparkly dressed assistant Stacy (Geena Davis) requests they hand in their phones at the start of the trip, it’s a can’t-say-no kind of choice. What’s to fear? They’re all having a wonderful time.

It’s Jess, rather than Frida, who first feels the twinge that all may not be as it seems, even as the champagne flows freely and days blur into one long paradisal party. It’s an intuition, at first. Why, for instance, are all the men on the island so persistently keen to determine that the women are continuing to have a good time? It’s excessive, no?

That’s when she disappears. What’s more, nobody but Frida seems to remember she was ever there.

The intensity ramps into gear from here on and to reveal any more would be to spoil some truly shocking twists. It’s a no punches held debut from a new voice with plenty to say.