# Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

### reviewed by
Jon Ridge

    " Eyes Wide Shut "  * * * *

I must admit to being completely distracted a good ten or twelve minutes into EYES WIDE SHUT, the film that took forever and a day to complete. Thereıs been such a great mystique about it, and so much written and gossiped and hypothesized, for so damn long the film was practically created on the internet that to be seeing the finished product, finally, was something of an event. And, in a word: wow.

The very first image, of Nicole Kidman gradually and teasingly exposing her full figure from the back, is at once voyeuristic, kinky and poignant. Which kind of describes up the picture, as a whole. The couple, Bill (Tom Cruise) and Alice (a vulnerable, esoteric Kidman) prepare casually for a Christmas party in Manhattan; she asks his opinion of her looks, from the toilet seat, and he tells her she is beautiful, "always beautiful", without actually looking. Itıs a nice, efficient set-up, explaining in little time the state of a nine-year marriage. Bill doesnıt have to question or doubt his wifeıs loyalty, nor her beauty; she, and it, have always been there. Over the course of the party, husband and wife go their separate ways, and both are approached by individuals with more on their minds than small talk. Alice, buzzed from champagne, dances with an older man who suggests it would be only natural for her to cheat, because that is to be expected in a marriage. Advice acknowledged, she cordially declines his offer; she doesnıt give in to advances, drunk or otherwise, but she almost seems willing to, nevertheless, in spite of herself. Bill seems readier to stray, arm in arm with two pretty models, but also doesnıt, though for reasons which have nothing to do with faithfulness. Duty calls, instead, with a naked girl upstairs who has had "a bad reaction" to narcotics and booze.

Back home, later, the couple gets stoned she much more than he and have an open, intimate discussion about sexual possibilities and diversions; mostly pertaining to people outside their marriage. As a gorgeous, deep blue emanates from the bathroom (evocative to the mood of the dialogue) against Kidman in her underwear, the conversation quickly becomes heated and defensive. It is here, and in other places, too, that all those reported multiple takes truly pays off. The coupleıs revealing talk sounds raw and genuine and true; it has a valid, middle of the night feel, when youıve been talking for hours and all thatıs left is the heart of the matter. Alice - and this is where Kidman (lovely, and sad) shines recounts a chance encounter from the past, involving herself and a young officer of the Navy. Nothing happened, but it couldıve, and she would have given everything in her life that she knows or holds dear to not have let that moment pass. So, what holds/held her back? The obvious answer would be family and marriage, but watch Kidmanıs face all through her characterıs confession, and you sense itıs something much deeper than that. Much deeper than what Bill accepts as general fact. Alice would not betray him, that one time, but now it seems more likely.

The idea pisses him off; that a single, solitary fleeting glance had the potential to forever alter the course of their relationship is scary. They are conveniently interrupted by a phone call from a patient of Billıs, whose father has just died, and he leaves to console the woman. And, during the remainder of the long late night, he imagines his wife in the arms of another. We see his perception change, his cool demeanor slowly dissolve, with each of the people he will come in to contact with.

Everything, every interaction, appears to revolve around sex. The woman who called is distraught, when Bill meets her, and she channels her grief through sexual desire and a false declaration of love; the scene, on the very bed of the deceased man, is funny and morose. A hooker (an alluring Vanessa Shaw) invites Bill to her place for sex, but the two share nothing more than a soft kiss (and itıs, by the way, one of the best looking close-ups Iıve seen). An old friend from med school (played by Todd Field), who dropped out and is now a pianist working various gigs, tells of a covert meeting place for men and women who wear cloaks and masks and participate in acts like nothing heıs ever seen before. Intrigued, and against his friendıs better advice, Bill picks up a costume to wear to the gathering, at a store run by an odd man, who first rebukes the activities of his underage daughter, but will later extend an indirect proposition to Bill for some of the same.

There is a distinct air of artificiality to the lives of these strangers, this environment, somehow making Aliceıs earlier admission all the more profound; grounded. And, as Billıs own marital devotion is called into question and tested, time and again culminating with the filmıs most controversial sequence, at a strange, ritualistic orgy EYES WIDE SHUT develops into a rather shattering and mature meditation on whether or not we really know our partner ourselves, for that matter and how much.

Speaking of the orgy sequence, I would like toıve seen the unabridged version, because those much-debated 65 seconds, or so, carry the promise of total erotic mischievousness. The point is that Bill is witnessing things he shouldnıt, or would be better off not seeing (like the pedophilia, that has come before), and even one of the masked women at the party seems to know it, though they remain completely anonymous to one another. How fitting is it, then, that this faceless person saves Bill from dire consequences of his unauthorized visit. From himself: what is he doing? Is he at this place because it turns him on to be, or is being there a means of not dealing with newfound jealousy, and confusion? Or, both? He has come to Aliceıs moment in time, and is rescued against his will. Which leads a tender moment between husband and wife, late in the film, when the tables are turned and it is he who confesses to near sexual indiscretion.

The orgy has since been remodeled, adding meticulously placed digital figures, to escape the dreaded NC-17 rating, but I canıt for the life of me see why the filmmakers felt it necessary to do so. The film is head-to-toe thoroughly adult; censoring even a tiny portion doesnıt make sense, besides securing a wider audience. EWS is strictly for the 17 and older age range; Tom Cruise is a huge box office draw: distribute the film in its original, intended form, and people would still go. Even still, I like what was done; the orgy sequence does not seem real, anyway. Itıs a fevered daydream of libidinous imagery and flesh, screwing for the sake of screwing, and feels kind of otherworldly. We get just enough of a view of what is being done, to figure out whatıs going on, and thatıs fine. The censorship - ugly word, but thatıs what it is in no way detracts from the tone EWS has worked so competently to establish by that point.

This is one of the best films of the year, provocative and intelligent. It has been impeccably lit, be it the numerous arrays of bright yellows that accompany the opening Christmas party and within Bill and Aliceıs upscale apartment, or the lush reds and neon greens along the streets Bill roams aimlessly. EYES WIDE SHUT is beautiful to look at. The cast is solid, most notably Vanessa Shaw, and Sydney Pollack as the enigmatic confidant who sets the record straight on a few crucial events for Bill (or, does he?).

But, itıs Kidman, I think, who holds the movie together. Her screen time is nothing compared to that of Cruise, but she plays all of it with nuance and precision. Her pot-induced "millions of years of evolution" monologue is a perfect example of timing and subtlety; Alice is altogether happy and dissatisfied with her life who isnıt and struggling to figure out why. Or, maybe I was struggling to. The performance is a revelation for Kidman, last seen in the awful PRACTICAL MAGIC, and worthy of Oscar consideration.

Some scenes seem a bit out of place, like the skin-bare tryst set to a Chris Isaak song. And, the flirtation between Cruise and the female roommate of a prostitute who has been diagnosed HIV positive. But they, alike all others here, compound what is, for all the waiting and hype, an elegant and mesmeric motion picture.

         Best line:  "Donıt you want to go where the rainbow ends?"

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