Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

*SPOILER FREE

In the year 1896 a 20-seconds film 'The Kiss' contained what was regarded as the very first sex scene on film, drawing the general outrage of movie goers, civic leaders, and religious leaders, as utterly shocking, obscene and completely immoral... 100 years later, Stanley Kubrick made a cinematic statement of sex and orgy of the same motif only for a little longer than 20 seconds.

Eyes Wide Shut is a mystery psychological drama set in the 1990s NYC and follows Bill, a Manhattan doctor, as he embarks on bizarre, dream-like odyssey the night his wife revealed her unfaithful sexual fantasies about someone else.

This is a dark, hypnotic tale about marriage, sexuality, and jealousy, an erotic thriller about the human darkest nature, psyche, and fantasies. This is melancholic drama about missed trains and opportunities and unfulfilled longings. This is a story of eyes wide open and eyes wide shut.

Stanley Kubrick, after buying the adaptation rights to the novel in the late 1960s, concludes his legendary and glorious filmmaking career and life with what he considered his "greatest contribution to the world of cinema" the cinema he thought 'illumination' is its most noble purpose, and O my Fidelio was this an illuminating masterpiece of cinema!

Tom Cruise and wife Nichole Kidman, who also play as husband and wife in the film, give the performances of their careers and gave the narrative an extra layer of authenticity as they actually performed their sacred duties as husband and wife in the same set as their characters.

The original music by Jocelyn Pook and the use of classical composition, especially that infamous waltz by Shostakovich that played as essential role of the narrative, were as haunting as the plot itself and remain their echo long after the film is finished.

The grand atmospheric NYC production design in London, the top-notch suspenseful filmmaking, and the haunting Kubrick ambiguity. This is a film that takes hold of its viewer and keeps them at awe and wonder no matter the repetitive viewings.

Eyes Wide Shut is the crescendo of a filmmaking streak that defines the better half of 20th century cinema, a thought-provoking swan song about the human instinct and desire, an unapologetic work of art in its most unapologetic form.

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Available to watch on Netflix, HBO Max, Apple TV, and on Amazon Prime Video

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