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Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

A deeply thoughtful, multi-layered, meaningful and visually beautiful cinematic work

One film which I have watched on multiple occasions is Eyes Wide Shut. This was Stanley Kubrick's final film. It is one of the most challenging, underrated, misunderstood and complex cinematic works I have ever seen. Ever since it's release it's been given variegated reviews. The flawless visuals, deep themes, slow pace and eerie almost dreamlike atmosphere all captivate the viewer.

The premise itself is the story of a doctor named Bill Harford played by Tom Cruise and his wife Alice played by Nicole Kidman. A wealthy and privileged couple who reside in New York with their young daughter Helena. After Alice unveils a mysterious sexual fantasy she had with another man Bill becomes distressed. A thoughtful Bill embarks on a late night sexual odyssey where he counters temptation, lust and infidelity. Before attending an outlandish orgy held by the rich and powerful of an underground cult. There he witnesses the darker side of sex and how dehumanizing and frigid it can be. After being exposed as an outsider Bill's livelihood and family become endangered causing Bill to resolve the aftermath even though he was given terse instructions not to by the cult. Rousing more thought-provocation, confusion and mystery to flow.

In the end the film remains ambiguous and puzzling yet nevertheless fascinating. There are many themes to study such as jealousy, intrigue, fear, sexuality, fantasy, reality and dreams amongst a host of others such as psychology, sociology, human nature, society and so on. It's also an fascinating message on how sex has transformed into a technology e.g. the obsession with money. Many stress it to be an artistic film as well. Personally I don't think it's Kubrick's best film however it's still in there with his best. A symbolic, important and serious work. The title of the film is metaphorically relevant to the context of the film in that our eyes are literally wide shut to the truth. As the ending is quite ambiguous interpretations are left open in that the viewer can decide whether or not it has either an optimistic or pessimistic outcome. I would maturely recommend it