Walk into any film school or late-night cinephile Reddit thread and mention Stanley Kubrick. Someone will inevitably bring up the mask. That eerie, Venetian-style face resting on a pillow next to Nicole Kidman. It’s the haunting image that defines Eyes Wide Shut, a movie that people still argue about decades after its 1999 release. Honestly, if you’re asking what Eyes Wide Shut is about, you’re usually looking for one of two things: the literal plot about a doctor’s weird night in New York, or the massive rabbit hole of conspiracy theories regarding secret societies and the elite.
It’s a dream. Or a nightmare. It’s about a marriage that’s supposedly "perfect" but actually hanging by a thread.
Kubrick died just days after showing the final cut to Warner Bros. That timing fueled a million rumors. People think he was "silenced" for showing too much. But if we look at the actual film—the one based on Arthur Schnitzler’s 1926 novella Traumnovelle (Dream Story)—the reality is both more grounded and somehow more terrifying than the conspiracies suggest. It’s a movie about the distance between two people sharing the same bed.
The Plot: A 48-Hour Descent into the Underworld
The story kicks off with Dr. Bill Harford (Tom Cruise) and his wife Alice (Nicole Kidman). They are wealthy, beautiful, and invited to the "right" parties. At a gala hosted by Victor Ziegler (Sydney Pollack), Bill gets hit on by two models, and Alice is nearly seduced by a suave Hungarian. Nothing "happens," but the seeds of jealousy are planted.
Then comes the catalyst.
The next night, Alice admits to Bill that she once had a vivid, intense sexual fantasy about a naval officer she saw for only a moment. This shatters Bill’s ego. He can't handle the fact that his wife has an internal life he doesn't control. This confession sends Bill on a bizarre, nocturnal odyssey through the streets of New York (which, famously, Kubrick shot entirely on sets in London because he refused to fly).
Bill’s night is a series of "almost" encounters. He visits a patient’s grieving daughter, meets a young sex worker named Domino, and eventually finds himself at a massive gate in Westchester. Thanks to a password—Fidelio—he gains entry to a masquerade ball that looks like something out of a medieval nightmare.
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What Eyes Wide Shut is About: The Illusion of Access
At its core, Eyes Wide Shut is about a man who thinks he belongs in a world where he is actually just a guest. Bill Harford is a doctor to the stars. He’s "important." But when he enters that mansion at Somerton, he realizes he’s a nobody.
The masked figures at the ritual represent the true power players. These aren't just people having a party; they are the individuals who run the world, and they don't take kindly to trespassers. The film uses the secret society as a metaphor for the invisible walls that separate the "haves" from the "have-mores." Bill thinks his money and status give him a backstage pass to life. He’s wrong.
The "eyes wide shut" title refers to this exact state of being. It’s about people who refuse to see the reality in front of them. Bill is blind to his wife’s unhappiness. He’s blind to the darkness of the elite world he services. He’s blind to his own mediocrity. He walks through life with his eyes open, yet he sees absolutely nothing.
The Costume of Power
Kubrick was obsessed with masks. Not just the physical ones worn during the orgy scene, but the masks we wear in daily life. Bill wears his "doctor" persona like armor. He shows his medical ID card to everyone—from taxi drivers to prostitutes—as if it’s a magical talisman that protects him from the consequences of his actions.
When he finally has to take off his mask in the mansion, he is exposed. He’s helpless. The film suggests that the "masks" of professional status and marriage are the only things keeping us from total chaos.
The Secret Society and the Controversy
We have to talk about the Somerton scene. It’s the reason the movie is a cult classic.
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The ritual, accompanied by Jocelyn Pook’s haunting, backwards-masked liturgical music, feels visceral. Many viewers believe Kubrick was exposing real-world groups like the Illuminati or the Rothschilds. They point to the 1972 "Surrealist Ball" hosted by Marie-Hélène de Rothschild as a direct inspiration.
While Kubrick certainly researched secret societies, the film isn't necessarily a documentary on the "Deep State." Instead, it uses the idea of a secret society to explore the terrifying concept that there is a level of power where laws don't apply. When Victor Ziegler later tells Bill that the woman who "sacrificed" herself was just a junkie and it was all a theatrical performance to scare him, we don't know if he's telling the truth or covering up a murder.
That ambiguity is the point. In the world of the ultra-elite, the truth is whatever they say it is.
A Marriage Under the Microscope
If you strip away the capes and the passwords, Eyes Wide Shut is a surprisingly intimate movie about a marriage.
The chemistry between Cruise and Kidman—who were married in real life at the time—is uncomfortable to watch. It feels voyeuristic. Kubrick spent over a year filming them, often pushing them to their emotional limits. He reportedly had them sleep in their characters' bedroom and share their real-life fears with him to bake that tension into the performances.
Alice is the smartest person in the movie. While Bill is out playing detective and failing miserably, Alice is the one who has already done the internal work. She has faced her desires and her darkness. Bill is just reacting to her.
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The ending of the film is famously blunt. After a harrowing journey, they meet in a toy store. Alice says they should be grateful they survived their adventures, "whether they were real or only a dream." Bill asks what they should do now. Alice looks at him and says the final word of the film: "Fuck."
It’s not a romantic ending. It’s a survivalist one. It’s an acknowledgment that the only way to stay together is to stop pretending and address the primal, messy reality of being human.
Key Themes to Remember:
- The Dream Logic: The movie doesn't follow standard "movie" rules. The colors are too saturated. The streets of New York look fake because they are. It’s meant to feel like the logic of a dream where you’re trying to reach a destination but keep getting sidetracked.
- Class Warfare: Bill is a "proletarian" of the elite. He’s the guy they call to fix an overdose so they don't get in trouble. He is useful, but he is not one of them.
- Female Agency: Despite the nudity, the film is arguably about Bill’s inability to understand women. Every woman he meets—Alice, the patient’s daughter, Domino, the girl at the mansion—holds more power or knowledge than he does.
Why It Still Matters Today
In 2026, we are more obsessed with "secret elites" than ever. From Epstein’s island to various internet conspiracies, the themes of Eyes Wide Shut feel prophetic. But the movie’s real staying power comes from its psychological depth.
It’s an uncomfortable watch because it asks us to look at our own secrets. What do you dream about when you’re lying next to your partner? What masks do you wear to get through your workday?
Kubrick didn't leave behind a "key" to the movie. There is no definitive answer to whether the girl was murdered or if Bill was ever in real danger. By leaving the "eyes wide shut" keyword as a riddle, Kubrick ensured we’d still be talking about it long after the credits rolled.
Actionable Insights for Viewers
If you're planning a rewatch or seeing it for the first time, keep these things in mind to get the most out of the experience:
- Watch the Background: Kubrick used specific colors to signal danger or safety. Notice how "rainbow" imagery appears right before something deceptive happens (like the "Under the Rainbow" costume shop).
- Read the Source Material: Pick up a copy of Dream Story by Arthur Schnitzler. It’s a short read and shows you exactly what Kubrick kept and what he changed to fit 1990s New York.
- Ignore the "Conspiracy" Noise (Initially): Try to watch it first as a story about a man’s mid-life crisis and ego. The "secret society" stuff is much more effective when viewed as a manifestation of Bill's internal insecurity rather than just a "Dan Brown" style thriller.
- Listen to the Soundscape: The use of silence and repetitive piano notes is designed to put you in a hypnotic state. Don't scroll on your phone; let the atmosphere do its work.