Incredible... more layers each time I see it

Rating: 9/10 (14 June 2007)

I love movies that have a basic story that you can follow, a basic narrative that isn't just completely random, but that when you look at it deeper, you see that it really is about something much different, and that the apparent thematic material and story are really clever disguises for something much more complex and interesting. The real meaning is there but you have to dig to find it. There is still something on the surface but it hides the real material, like skin covering the real meat and skeleton.
Now, I've been doing some reading about the cult and the Illumanti and all that and Kubrick's death and how it all relates. Let me first say that I completely agree that Eyes Wide Shut isn't REALLY about sexual exploration and the relationship of a couple who are having marriage issues. These are themes that have been explored way before EWS came out, and many critics jumped on the movie for not being original like most Kubrick films and beating a dead horse that had already been cinematically explored. But I think Kubrick was more intelligent than that. However, many conspiracy theorists jump on the fact that EWS is really all about cults (certainly ironic considering Cruise and Kidman's scientology ties) and how evil they are, and especially about how the Illumanti control the world and we are blind to it, with some even saying that EWS is Kubrick's warning of a new dark age to come. And blah blah blah.
Me, I see the film as actually a deep complex study on our fascination with cults and conspiracy theories as a whole, and of the unknown. It is inherint that there is something creepy about what we don't understand. The mysterious is never boring. I think a lot of people attribute stuff (say, 9/11 for example) to crazy theories because a) it makes everything seem more interesting and b) because it means responsibility is never in your own hands. This works with EWS very well I think. Firstly, Cruise and Kidman are portrayed as the 'vanilla American' couple getting bored with life and each other. Again, many conspiracy theories are made by people bored with their own lives that want excitement in believing that there is a BIGGER PICTURE out there and that they are one of the lucky few to really see what is happening, while everyone else is "sheep." This also fits in with Cruise's intent interest to go to the party he is told about that he knows is VERY exclusive. It is exciting and different, and it is something most people don't know about.
But then, secondly, is the fact that Cruise doesn't have to really take responsibility for his actions. He had drawn away from his wife, and was willing to cheat on her, but then the "cult" threatens his life and suddenly the issue of infidelity is MINOR when compared to the grand tragedy and mystery that he came upon. This can very much be symbolic of why such organizations have their powerfullness and mystery trumped up, and why conspiracy theories are so popular. It takes away the importance of our own actions in the big scheme of things. They can be the invisible scape goat we point to when we make our own mistakes. It's a way to gauge your own sins against far greater sins and to find absolution in this fact.
Even the title, EYES WIDE SHUT, fits in this paradox. People make themselves believe they have a greater view on life than all others while really they are the most blind themselves. The ones who think "they get it" and that everyone else is sheep are only fooling their own hearts.
I see the sun worshipping "cult" as a tool to further these themes and the journey the main character takes through both reality and fantasy, ego and anonymity. The real trick to it, and the trick to most of Kubrick's film, is that they are never about what you think they are about. If the film says one thing, it really means another.
To me a big theme of Eyes Wide Shut is responsibility, and the importance of our own actions as OUR actions (and the contrast between your actions being part of a larger sum and belonging to you on an individual level.) The blurred line between the real and the unreal, between boring old life and the fantasy of our dreams, is also very important as well for this film, especially in the fact that sometimes we want - and need - that line to be blurred. To discover more about ourselves and who we really are, and also to discover more about life and the experiences and sensations it can offer, we can find ourselves searching out dangerous roads. These confusing paths can lead many places. They can lead to a reality where up is down, where the blind see more than anyone else, and where those who appear enlightened actually are the most sightless of all. So to speak, this is a journey where you can take each step with your eyes wide shut.