eyes wide shut

Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut truly took my breath away. The acting felt so far removed from naturalism—it was electrifying to watch each actor push beyond safe, scene-serving choices into something bolder, stranger, and unforgettable. It stood in stark contrast to much of what we see today, where performers often strive to appear simply “natural.” Instead, here was cinema brimming with sheer life force and raw emotion.

It became clear that it wasn’t only down to brilliant casting, but to Kubrick’s relentless direction. After watching interviews with Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise, I discovered that the film was shot over 15 months, with Kubrick often running take after take in pursuit of a precise and heightened truth. That uncompromising process seemed to strip away habits and force his actors into a space of vulnerability, intensity, and daring that few films achieve.