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Eyes Wide Shut

Name: Eyes Wide Shut
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Released: 1999
Duration: 159 min

Representation Score

6.2/10

Good

1999

Director

Stanley Kubrick

Runtime

159 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Eyes Wide Shut is a psychological study of the fragility of the nuclear family and social hierarchies. It successfully challenges traditional gender power dynamics through the ability to act of its female lead, which subverts the cliché of male omnipotence. However, the film focuses narrowly on a white, upper-class world, lacking racial and ethnic diversity. This homogeneity reinforces a specific Eurocentric view of social structures. While the film explores transgressive sexuality and moral relativism, it does not engage meaningfully with LGBTQ+ identities or disability representation.

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Category Breakdown

Does Eyes Wide Shut have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The film does not explicitly address LGBTQ+ identities or non-binary gender expressions. Sexual themes focus on disrupting a heterosexual marriage rather than celebrating queer identity.

How does Eyes Wide Shut portray gender?

Good

Alice Harford plays a significant role in driving the story by expressing her desires and acting as a catalyst. Bill Harford's masculinity is shown as reactive and destabilized by domestic uncertainty.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Eyes Wide Shut?

Minimal

The cast is predominantly white and upper-class, creating a Eurocentric social landscape with little diversity. This homogeneity limits characters who reflect more than one aspect of diversity.

How does Eyes Wide Shut represent religion and culture?

Good

The narrative critiques Western institutions by showing a secretive, ritualistic elite that bypasses traditional social and legal morals. It presents a world where authority is easily undermined by systemic power.

Does Eyes Wide Shut include disability representation?

Fair

Psychological distress is portrayed as a universal human condition rather than a specific study of disability. Characters with visible or invisible disabilities are not given meaningful roles.

Present on Screen

Nuanced exploration of gendered power dynamics and female influence.
Effective critique of the corruption and insulation of the upper class.
Sophisticated deconstruction of traditional Western social and moral hierarchies.

Limited or Absent

Significant lack of racial and ethnic diversity within the cast.
Absence of explicit LGBTQ+ representation or non-binary identities.
Minimal focus on or ability to act for characters with disabilities.

Official Synopsis

After Dr. Bill Harford's wife, Alice, admits to having sexual fantasies about a man she met, Bill becomes obsessed with having a sexual encounter. He discovers an underground sexual group and attends one of their meetings -- and quickly discovers that he is in over his head.

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