Eyes Wide Shut (1999), Stanley Kubrick
4/5
This is brilliant and strange film, the last film made by Stanley Kubrick before his death. It's slow pacing and length of nearly 2 and a half hours might be arduous to contemporary audiences who are used to fast paced Hollywood drama, but instead it's slow pacing give this film an even more mysterious and darker edge. The cinematography is great with lots of slow tracking shots complemented with horror style piano scoring (music by Jocelyn Pook, but also featured a number of classical pieces), which give the film a eerie quality. Threaded throughout the plot events of 24 hours are themes and events about sex, infidelity, relationships and death. The performances are good overall and Cruise is particularly good giving a subtle performance, but Kidman gives an average performance. The costuming, set design and lighting all lend to the strange quality of the plot events playing beautifully between the line of propriety and fear. For me personally, this film is about the temptations and compromises of long term relationships in a very real way, but there is a darker and more sinister edge explored to the characters motives which is really interesting. Despite the explicit sexual content it is not gratuitous. Instead the erotic is the primary subjectmatter used to further the plot, build tension, and reveal much about the characters motivations and emotions. Overall a fascinating film with great characters, cinematography and many twists and turns to this psychological thriller that are very emotive and effective.
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