Psychological thriller Blink Twice has offered a trigger warning notifying viewers of the ‘sexual violence’ depicted in the film.
Directed by Zoe Kravitz, the film is about tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) who invites cocktail waitress Frida (Naomi Ackie) on a vacation on his private island. However, she begins questioning her reality following a series of strange events.
The warning was issued as Blake Lively faces criticism over her ‘tone-deaf’ approach to promoting her film It Ends With Us, a movie about domestic violence.
Both Blink Twice and their distributer, Amazon MGM Studios, shared the warning to their Instagram accounts ahead of the film’s August 23 release.
‘We are proud to finally share Blink Twice with audiences in theaters worldwide this week,’ the message began.
Psychological thriller Blink Twice has offered a trigger warning notifying viewers of the ‘sexual violence’ depicted in the film
Directed by Zoe Kravitz , the film is about tech billionaire Slater King ( Channing Tatum ) who invites cocktail waitress Frida ( Naomi Ackie ) on a vacation on his private island. However, she begins questioning her reality following a series of strange events
‘Blink Twice is a psychological thriller about the abuse of power. While this is a fictionalized movie, it contains mature themes and depictions of violence – including sexual violence.
‘This may be upsetting or triggering for some viewers. For resources that offer support, visit BlinkTwiceResources.com’.
Lively and her new film It Ends With Us has faced intense criticism over the lack of upfront information about the movie’s central focus and overall general marketing campaign.
Bridgette Stumpf, the founder and executive director of Network for Victim Recovery of DC, described the disappointment she felt over the film’s immediate lack of resources in a Hollywood Reporter article.
‘When watching the film in a packed theater with a colleague on opening night, our first reaction as the film ended was disappointment that no resources were immediately offered for survivors as soon as credits rolled. Later, there was an end credits message, though it came after many had left: “If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available. Visit www.nomore.org for more information and support,”‘ she wrote.
A message with information on resources was offered during the credits of It Ends With Us and a viewers’ guide with resources and information about domestic violence was shared by the film’s Instagram account.
Lively also addressed the issue on her Instagram Stories several days after the film debuted, posting stats about the subject matter and the domestic violence hotline.
Blink Twice is set to be released on August 23 and in an interview with People, Kravitz and Ackie opened up about the filmmaking process.
When it came time to shoot the more challenging moments in the film, Kravitz said, ‘We had a lot of conversations.’
The film stars Zoe’s fiance Channing Tatum and actress Naomi Ackie
‘We had nights where we would all talk as a group, and people would share whatever they wanted to share. Their own fears, concerns, personal experiences,’ she said.
‘We had nights where just the men would talk, and they would have a safe space, and the women would talk. It’s not just about the finished product, the destination — it’s about how we get there. And so we all needed to work through what we needed to work through,’ she said.
Ackie, who described the talks as ‘beautiful’, said: ‘Some of the hardest scenes, where we came away feeling depleted, like we just had a big group hug.’
‘It was really special,’ she said. ‘Those things I will never forget. The reason why I became an actor was for the community, now I realize. It’s the people that you’re with, and the fact that you can trust people enough to create a story rather, and know that people are going to not be laughing at you.’
Blink Twice is set to be released on August 23 and in an interview with People, Kravitz and Ackie opened up about the filmmaking process; Kravitz pictured on the set with Tatum
Blake Lively attends the ‘It Ends With Us’ New York Premiere at the start of August
Lively, meanwhile, has faced backlash for ‘trivialising domestic violence’ and promoting the film ‘like a romantic comedy’.
The film is based on the book by Colleen Hoover and focuses on the story of Lily Bloom, played by Lively, who becomes embroiled in an abusive relationship with a man named Ryle Kincaid, portrayed by Justin Baldoni.
Lively, Jenny Slate and Isabela Ferrer sat down for a Q&A with the author to discuss it in early August. However, instead of speaking about the serious topic of abusive relationships, the quartet were accused of appearing ‘light-hearted’.
Lively, Jenny Slate and Isabela Ferrer sat down for a Q&A with the author to discuss it in early August
Branded ‘tone-deaf’, Lively has faced intense scrutiny over the film’s release, with interviews continuing to surface showing behaviour that has been branded ‘mean’ by some who’ve seen it.
There have also been swirling rumours of a feud between Lively and director Baldoni.
It was previously reported by TMZ that the mother-of-four was allegedly fat-shamed on-set by Baldoni in preparation for a scene in the film which saw Baldoni lift Lively into the air.
There have also been swirling rumours of a feud between Lively and director Baldoni (pictured)
The film is based on the book by Colleen Hoover and focuses on the story of Lily Bloom, played by Lively , who becomes embroiled in an abusive relationship with a man named Ryle Kincaid, portrayed by Justin Baldoni
Insiders told the outlet that Baldoni suffers from back problems and sought assistance from a trainer prior to the lifting scene.
Baldoni allegedly asked the trainer how much Lively weighed and asked for help preparing his back to avoid incurring an injury.
When Lively learned about Baldoni’s comments, she allegedly felt fat-shamed by him.
Lively welcomed her fourth child with husband Ryan Reynolds in February 2023, and sources shared with TMZ that the remark really got to the actress.
TMZ sources also cited another alleged instance that bothered Lively on the set.
The duo were filming a kissing scene and sources claim Lively believed Baldoni ‘lingered’ longer than was necessary for the kiss.
reached out to representatives for Baldoni and Lively for comment.