Friday Movie: Eyes Wide Shut

By Mister Curie

Not a gay movie this week. "Eyes Wide Shut" is (from IMDb) about:

A New York City doctor, who is married to an art curator, pushes himself on a harrowing and dangerous night-long odyssey of sexual and moral discovery after his wife admits that she once almost cheated on him.

Certainly lots of eye candy for the lesbians and heterosexual males, but what really interested me about this movie was its moral themes. After narrowly (and not entirely willingly) avoiding an enticing encounter with a prostitute, and then being kicked out of a high society sex orgy that he snuck into, the main character learns that the prostitute had recently contracted AIDS and that "Powers That Be" in the city are now out to get him. The theme "Lucky To Be Alive" permeates the second half of the movie. This movie made me think about the often unseen and unintended consequences of our actions (particularly those that are impulsively made). Certainly within the promiscuous aspects of a sexual relationship there is the potential danger from AIDS and other STDs. There is also potential danger to committed partners (not just through contraction of STDs), but through broken trust and emotional damage. This theme applies to both heterosexuals (as portrayed in the movie) and to homosexuals. I think it is important to try and imagine the consequences of our actions and to minimize those that would impact negatively on our lives and the lives of those we love.