Review of Eyes Wide Shut (1999) by Brett C — 21 Dec 2014

Review In A Nutshell:

Fatal Attraction, Basic Instinct, Dangerous Liaisons, these are films that deal with the topic of sex, and how that could demonstrate destructive effects, primarily at a psychological level. Eyes Wide Shut seems like Kubrick's attempt of taking a stab at the genre, but since this is a Kubrick film, it does not rely on cheap twists and exploiting sexuality in order to engage its audience. Eyes Wide Shut demands a lot from its audience; patience, concentration and contemplation. This is a film that still manages to keep my interest through repeated viewings and unwilling to give away its secrets easily. It is no doubt a film with flaws but they aren't severe enough that one should decide to dismiss the film completely; it is not the worst film from the director, as many have suggested, I believe it is a film that, at the time, was misunderstood.

The film begins in slowly introducing its two primary characters, Dr. William Harford and his wife Alice, they attend a party of their friend and from there the film begins to deconstruct them, giving the audience a glimpse of who they are. This development of character will be an aspect of the film that would slowly grow as the film progresses, constantly shaping, and re-shaping our views of them, but managing to do so without antagonising them; we are given characters that contain flaws, even William who may come off as an angel as compared to his wife, does show signs of weakness every once in a while. It is a film that completely understands its story and its focus point, the characters, ensuring that at all time that the audience is internally engaged rather than dwell on the plot itself. By the end of the film, we know more of these characters than we ever anticipate, and it succeeds doing so without resorting to obvious character exposition and exaggerated emotions, it was in the quiet moments when the characters simply stare towards nowhere or a slight interaction with another person that our minds start to calculate and create theories; only under the direction of Kubrick could a film like this evoke such thought, proving itself to be more valuable than the similarly based films released at the time.

Marriage is a topic that I am deeply fascinated about, the idea of two uniquely different people who have promised to embark on a journey together of complete autonomy and adoration for one another, even more intriguing is the complications and drama that eventually generates in this type of relationship and how each would react to it. Eyes Wide Shut spends the bulk of its first hour exploring this concept, how temptations could easily appear and attempts to disarm us towards complete vulnerability; Alice finds affection and excitement from a man who flirts with her, while William is drawn by the youthful models that surrounds him, a slight boost in his ego. When both reach home and decide to light and share marijuana together, it sparks up one of the best moments and monologues ever to be graced in cinema; Alice confessing of her almost previous sin of infidelity. It was a deeply affecting scene, as Kubrick rarely gives the audience a chance to cut away from Alice, pouring out more and more details, slowly penetrating us, like a knife piercing through our guts. Though the trigger of this argument is just as intense as the confession itself, as it showed how an interpretation, or misinterpretation, of a singular sentence could shift the entire tone of the moment; slowly graduating to a point of personal accusations, with Alice constantly cornering Will in order to gain the response she expects and wants from her husband. It is a frightening idea of emotional snowballing that suddenly creates unexpected pressures and possibly destroys perspectives and relationships.

This argument then sparks feelings of jealousy and betrayal from Will that eventually leads him to an eventful night that would change his life. In this journey he encounters further infidelity, sexual temptation and social mystery, and refuses to step away from as his rage and jealousy influences him to move forward. It was in this journey that the tone of the film starts to shift, starting yet another journey that aims to provide the answers of his previous experience, but sadly this is where the film starts to slowly lose my interest as barely of the scenes that were shown gave me anything to sink my teeth in; it almost felt hollow, leaving us with slow and supposedly profound scenes, making it difficult to sometimes endure. The mystery itself does not seem to reach beyond the story it delivers, and by that I mean it does not resonate or leave an impact in the way I would see my own reality; A Clockwork Orange, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Full Metal Jacket, Paths of Glory, all explore ideas that reach beyond the plot it follows, encouraging reflection and deep contemplation. I would assume that Kubrick would try to be more ambitious and more thoughtful in its execution with each that he makes.

Eyes Wide Shut carries the familiar attributes that make up a Kubrick film. Returning is the long tracking shots, extended takes, and surrealistic imagery. It sacrifices visual scope and ambition for emotional and psychological depth, achieving a level of intimacy and coldness that I have never seen from a Kubrick film. The first half of the film, the photography captures the atmosphere in such a way that feels tight and visually warm, while the latter half starts to become much more isolated and cool, creating fright rather than sexual excitement; and when Larry Smith's photography is paired with Jocelyn Pook's hauntingly dark score during the masked-ball sequence, one easily feels a level of discomfort and uneasiness. The same goes for the pairing of Smith's internally dark visuals with Gyorgy Ligeti's Musica Ricercata II: Mesto, Rigido e Cerimonale; constantly feeling my heart race as each note drops in.

The acting performances in this film were fantastic, which was expected since this was a film very tightly focused on its characters. Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman was a couple during the time of shooting, and their natural chemistry is quite clear and effective during the scenes where they interact with one another, especially during moments where sexual activity is shown. Though both share central credit, it is primarily a Cruise film, with his character being the primary figure that is followed, exploring more of his character than Kidman's, and he gives a splendid effort in playing such an internal role; which is something we rarely ever get from the actor in recent years.

Eyes Wide Shut may not be the masterpiece or the sensual experience that many expect it to be at the time of release, but since then it has grown on its audience with warmer responses, and realising that is so much more than what it advertises. I was in constant admiration for Kubrick in managing to keep his audiences in thought, even far beyond the film's final frame. It is a sad thought that his filmography ended too early, as he possibly could have continued his streak and break through as one of the most inspiring directors working in the 21st century.