: The character representing the bridge between Bill’s middle-class existence and the terrifying power of the secret society.
Visual and spatial motifs
Released in 1999, the film remains a "masterpiece of hidden messages" that many believe contributed to the mystery surrounding Kubrick’s death just six days after its final screening. The Core Themes: What Lies Beneath The Fragility of Marriage index of eyes wide shut
The primary entry in this index is the . In the film’s visual language, the mask serves as the primary signifier of social performance. Early in the film, Dr. Bill Harford wanders through his affluent life essentially unmasked, yet entirely opaque to those around him. It is only when he dons the Venetian mask to enter the Somerton mansion that the film’s truth is revealed. The orgy scene is paradoxical; though the participants are masked, the setting strips away the social contract, revealing a raw, primal desire that polite society represses. The mask allows for the truth to be spoken. Conversely, the film’s most devastating moment occurs when Bill returns home to find his wife, Alice, sleeping beside the mask he left on the pillow. Here, the mask is an accusation. It signifies his deceit and his near-miss with infidelity. It is the artifact of his secret life intruding upon the sanctity of his marriage, proving that the secrets we keep are the heaviest burdens in a relationship. : The character representing the bridge between Bill’s
: A tension-filled confession of contemplated infidelity by Alice triggers Bill's night-long journey into the city's sexual underbelly. In the film’s visual language, the mask serves