Sex And Subtext: Is Eyes Wide Shut A BDSM Movie?

Eyes Wide Shut is often associated with the BDSM community due to its explicit sexual content, but it cannot be solely categorized as a BDSM movie.

The film does portray sexual practices commonly associated with BDSM, but it lacks critical characteristics of the BDSM genre. Firstly, the power dynamics in Eyes Wide Shut are not consensual at all and aren’t safe, and consensual and safe power dynamics are fundamental principles of BDSM. Secondly, the film’s focus isn’t on exploring BDSM practices but rather on the protagonist’s journey through the dark and fantastic world of sexual desire.

Still, if you aren’t sure yet, in this article, I will break down most of the sexual practices in Eyes Wide Shut to show why they aren’t even remotely closer to BDSM, so you can decide for yourself if Eyes Wide Shut is a BDSM movie or not.

What Eyes Wide Shut Is Really About?

Eyes Wide Shut is a psychological drama and was the last film directed by Stanley Kubrick. The movie features Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman in the leading roles, who were married at the time of the filming.

Eyes Wide Shut is about Dr. Bill Harford (Tom Cruise), a rich physician, and his wife, Alice (Nicole Kidman). One day Alice reveals to Bill that she had a sexual fantasy about cheating on him, and Bill becomes obsessed with the idea that his wife is cheating on him. This leads him to start his journey in a world of sexual obsession and dangerous encounters with other people.

Bill’s Curiosity

After an argument with Alice, Bill goes out and finds himself in a strange but erotic underworld. He attends a party where he meets a friend who introduces him to a secret society of wealthy people who engage in sexual rituals and orgies. Bill ends up getting interested in these activities, and he becomes increasingly drawn into this world and starts to explore his desires and fantasies.

Through time, Bill goes deeper and deeper into the underworld society, but eventually, he realizes some people don’t like his presence there, and he is being watched by people who might harm him. Even with the danger around the corner, Bill continues his journey to find the truth about his sexuality and his relationship with Alice.

At the center, the movie is about the nature of human needs and desires, which leads them to run after connection and intimacy. The movie tries to show the difference between love and lust and the danger you will encounter if the balance between love and lust is disrupted. Despite its disturbing story, Eyes Wide Shut is a work of art that makes viewers think about their desires and whose fear makes them question the nature of their relationship.

To know more about the change in Bill’s desires and the part lust plays in it, check out this article.

The Portrayal of BDSM In Eyes Wide Shut

• Consent Between Partners In Eyes Wide Shut

The entirety of BDSM can be summarised into these six practices: bondage, discipline, dominance and submission, sadism, and masochism. These practices rely significantly on mutual trust, respect, and communication between partners as it involves consensual power exchange.

The problem is that in Eyes Wide Shut, most sexual practices aren’t based on consensual power exchanges between partners. The movie contains scenes like sexual coercion, manipulation, and exploitation, and they don’t relate at all to the principles of BDSM. For instance, there is a scene in the movie where William Harford is invited to a secret society’s orgy. You can see women there who are not enjoying the sexual experience and are being used as a tool for pleasure by the men. The women in the scene aren’t given a choice or any say; they are just not in control of the situation.

If you want to watch a movie where you can see a woman in consensual in submission, and get pleasure at the same time, then watch our review about The Pet by clicking here.

• BDSM Scenes In Eyes Wide Shut

Eyes Wide Shut doesn’t feature any intentional BDSM scenes. There are many sexually explicit scenes in the movie, but they can’t be classified as BDSM scenes. Among the sexual content in the movie, you can see heterosexual sex, including oral sex, vaginal sex, and masturbation.

There is no feature of activities like bondage, flogging, and spanking, so the movie can’t be considered a BDSM movie as no BDSM scene was intentionally put in the movie.

• Theme Of Eyes Wide Shut

Eyes Wide Shut’s story and its theme don’t revolve around BDSM. The movie has a complex story with multilayered character development. You can see the movie exploring themes like jealousy, sexual desire, power dynamics, and the fragility of human relationships. Eyes Wide Shut focuses on human desire and the consequences if those desires are unleashed into the world.

You can only portray BDSM through visual imagery on the screen, but in the case of Eyes Wide Shut, most of the movie theme is explored through dialogue and symbolism. The movie goes deep into sexually explicit content but never touches or even talks about BDSM.

To understand deeply and exactly what BDSM is, please check out this article.

Can Eyes Wide Shut Be Considered a BDSM Movie?

In conclusion, I would say, despite the array of sexual content in Eyes Wide Shut, it cannot be considered a BDSM movie. The movie’s theme never brings up BDSM, most sexual practices have no consent between the partners, and even in the consensual sex scenes, there is no power play.

Lastly, when the movie was made, Stanley Kubrick, who directed it, didn’t intend to make it a BDSM movie. He stated in various interviews that Eyes Wide Shut wasn’t made for any sex subculture, including BDSM. He intended to portray a psychological exploration of a normal human’s hidden desires. So, the movie can’t be labeled BDSM because it was never intended to be a BDSM movie.

Before you go, if you wish to watch a movie that shows consensual BDSM sex between partners and defines the genre, please check out our review of a great BDSM movie – Secretary.