Overview
A journey into the hidden desires of the human psyche unfolds as one man's curiosity leads him to a world of dark secrets.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- brooding
- dreamy
- foreboding
- late night viewing
- adult cinephile discussion
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Kubrick’s final film as an impressively crafted, hypnotic, and psychologically intense study of desire and the human psyche, though its deliberate ambiguity divided audiences.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The masked gathering, blindfolded piano performance, and formal social encounters turn erotic spectacle into an atmosphere of menace.
Alice's confession about her sexual fantasy sends William into a night of jealousy, temptation, and uncertainty about the marriage.
Costumes and masks govern the secret party and repeatedly frame identity as performance and concealment.
William's access to affluent clients and the clandestine gathering exposes a social order in which powerful people control information and danger.
Films like Eyes Wide Shut, and why
The Vanishing
shares erotic mystery, marital unease, nocturnal urban atmosphere, and psychological tension
Mulholland Drive
shares paranoid secrecy, sexual obsession, dreamlike ambiguity, and psychologically destabilizing investigation
The Night Porter
shares erotic thriller conventions transformed into an unsettling study of desire, power, and identity
Caché
shares stylized urban paranoia, sexual intrigue, and a protagonist drawn into a hidden social world
Movie Details
- Director
- Stanley Kubrick
- Release Date
- 1999-07-16
- Runtime
- 159 min
- Rating
- 7.5 / 10 (7339)
Cast
- Tom Cruise
- Nicole Kidman
- Sydney Pollack
- Marie Richardson
- Rade Šerbedžija
- Todd Field
- Vinessa Shaw
- Alan Cumming
- Sky du Mont
- Fay Masterson
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- TCM, HBO Max
- Rent
- Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Eyes Wide Shut about?
- A privileged physician’s nocturnal search for erotic escape draws him toward a masked world where desire, privilege, and danger become inseparable.
- What is Eyes Wide Shut like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Eyes Wide Shut as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Eyes Wide Shut violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Eyes Wide Shut as mild.
- What did critics think of Eyes Wide Shut?
- Critics broadly regard Kubrick’s final film as an impressively crafted, hypnotic, and psychologically intense study of desire and the human psyche, though its deliberate ambiguity divided audiences.
- Which films are like Eyes Wide Shut?
- Films with a similar feel include The Vanishing, Mulholland Drive, The Night Porter, and Caché.
- How long is Eyes Wide Shut?
- Eyes Wide Shut runs 159 minutes.
- Where can I watch Eyes Wide Shut?
- In United States, Eyes Wide Shut streams on TCM, HBO Max.
