Queer Film Theory 101: Eyes Wide Shut

"This pot is making you aggressive." Y’all ready for this? Winter is upon us; it’s theoretically supposed to be getting colder, and cuffing season is well underway. It’s the perfect time to watch EYES WIDE SHUT, Stanley Kubrick’s erotic holiday mystery film about how heterosexual marriage is one big spooky lie! That’s right, “cineaphiles,” we’re closing out our 2026 syllabus applying the Queer Film Theory 101 lens to one of the GOATs. The straights are gonna be mad at us! Dr. Bill Harford (Tom Cruise) and his wife, Alice (Nicole Kidman), seem to have it all: a thriving medical practice, a healthy young daughter, and a fancy-ass New York apartment, but something uncomfortable simmers beneath the surface of their idyllic heterosexual bliss. When Alice reveals a sexy little secret desire, Bill is sent into a tailspin, leading to an odyssey of sexual tourism through the seedy underbelly of New York’s upper crust. For whatever reason, Tom Cruise is exceptionally gifted at portraying a man crumbling under the weight of a masculinity in crisis, and Nicole Kidman shines as a woman who's had it with the trophy wife lifestyle. Featuring an incredible supporting cast including Sydney Pollack, Todd Field, and a cheeky cameo from bisexual icon Alan Cumming, EYES WIDE SHUT is a perfect movie to watch if you want to get in a confusing and convoluted argument with your partner just before the holidays. It will leave you apologizing profusely, but you won't be exactly sure what you’re apologizing for. “Don't you think one of the charms of marriage is that it makes deception a necessity for both parties?”