Eyes Wide Shut

Stanley Kubrick died last spring, a tragedy not only for his family but also for the cinema. Among other things, he disturbed us in 1962 with Lolita, amazed us in 1968 with his futuristic vision in 2001 - A Space Odyssey, and horrified us in 1971 with A Clockwork Orange. Now, in his final film, Eyes Wide Shut, he simply mystifies us. I've had to think hard about this film, and I've come to the conclusion that it will mean something different to each person who watches it. We all know that sexual impulse is one of the most powerful forces in our lives, and this fact is used daily to sell everything from newspapers to chewing gum. Sex can be used to show love, it can be used to control people, and it can be used to destroy people. What Eyes Wide Shut says to me is that we have given sex too much power over our lives and that we just might be better off without it, or at least without quite so much of it.

The lead characters are a wealthy doctor and his wife, played by Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. One night they have a fight, some secrets come out, and the good doctor becomes somewhat jealous and confused. After dealing with an emergency call, he finds himself walking the streets of Manhattan in a daze, unable to shake the images of his wife having sex with another man. We follow him during this strangest of nights, as he meets a variety of people all who seem to see him as some kind of sex object. He's a nice guy, but he's confused and upset, and this leads him into some pretty weird situations. The night gets more and more bizarre until finally he starts to get really freaked out. To be honest, I didn't realise Cruise was such a good actor. The film reaches its climax in a discussion between Cruise and a good friend played by Sydney Pollack. There's just one problem... the final scene lets down the whole film. Or does it? I'm still not sure. I have a creepy feeling that Kubrick has planted a mystery in my brain that will solve itself one night as I awaken from a nightmare.