Complex and thought-provoking

Rating: 9/10 (7 June 2005)

The movie has been excellently and sufficiently reviewed in the many contributions to this site. The main advantage of "Eyes Wide Shut" however is that it is always subject to a further analysis or renewed insights as it covers all the aspects of our individual consciousness. The many interpretations which have been expressed here, illustrate the complex and thought-provoking theme of the movie: "theme" is not even an appropriate choice of words as the subject matter embraces so much more: reality, dreams, human interaction, aesthetics, depravity etc etc. The title alone is fascinating as such and could easily constitute the basis for a profound philosophical or psychological debate: are we humans so frustrated by our affinity to the animal world that we can only observe our carnal selves from behind a mask? Do we constantly have to close our eyes to our true nature? Is hypocrisy the only means of reaching a higher level? Is beauty but a mere dream and a negation of what we really are? Is compromise our dismal but only means of salvation? These are all open questions and all the possible answers have that relative quality about them that characterizes our desperate earthly condition. Kubrick was a genius in the way he understood and rendered our predicament