Eyes Wide Shut
After his wife, Alice, tells him about her sexual fantasies, William Harford sets out for a night of sexual adventure. After several less than successful encounters, he meets an old friend, Nick Nightingale--now a musician--who tells him of strange sex parties where he is required to play the piano blindfolded. All the men at the party are costumed and wear masks while the women are all young and beautiful. Harford manages to find an appropriate costume and heads out to the party. Once there, however, he is warned by someone who recognizes him, despite the mask, that he is in great danger. He manages to extricate himself, but the threats prove to be quite real and sinister.
Despite a mid-range budget of $65.0M, Eyes Wide Shut became a commercial success, earning $162.1M worldwide—a 149% return.
12 wins & 30 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Eyes Wide Shut (1999) exhibits meticulously timed narrative design, characteristic of Stanley Kubrick's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 39 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.0, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Bill and Alice Harford prepare for an elegant Christmas party, appearing as a sophisticated, successful Manhattan couple in their beautiful apartment—a picture of upper-class marital stability.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 19 minutes when Alice smokes marijuana and confesses her intense sexual fantasy about a naval officer she saw briefly on vacation, revealing she would have abandoned Bill and Helena for one night with this stranger—shattering Bill's assumptions about their marriage.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 40 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to Nick Nightingale tells Bill about the secret masked orgy with a password ("Fidelio"). Bill actively chooses to pursue this dangerous mystery, obtaining a costume and mask from Rainbow Fashions—a deliberate decision to enter a forbidden world., moving from reaction to action.
At 80 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Notably, this crucial beat Bill is ejected from the orgy with ominous warnings. He returns home to find Alice laughing hysterically from a disturbing dream about the naval officer and orgies—a false defeat where both his secret adventure and his marriage seem to be unraveling simultaneously., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 119 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Bill views the body of the mysterious woman at the morgue, confronting the literal "whiff of death." Whether she truly sacrificed herself for him or not, he faces the real consequences of his journey into transgression—someone is dead, and it may be connected to him., shows the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 127 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Bill confesses everything to Alice—the entire odyssey from his patient's daughter to Domino to the orgy. He synthesizes the truth of his journey with vulnerability, choosing honesty over continued secrets, bringing his inner world into their shared reality., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Eyes Wide Shut's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs structural analysis methodology used to understand storytelling architecture. By mapping Eyes Wide Shut against these established plot points, we can identify how Stanley Kubrick utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Eyes Wide Shut within the drama genre.
Stanley Kubrick's Structural Approach
Among the 10 Stanley Kubrick films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 5.3, showcasing experimental approaches to narrative form. Eyes Wide Shut represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Stanley Kubrick filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman. For more Stanley Kubrick analyses, see Spartacus, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Full Metal Jacket.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Bill and Alice Harford prepare for an elegant Christmas party, appearing as a sophisticated, successful Manhattan couple in their beautiful apartment—a picture of upper-class marital stability.
Theme
At the Ziegler party, multiple characters discuss fidelity and attraction. Ziegler himself embodies the theme when discussing the nature of desire and secrets in marriage, foreshadowing the dangerous territory of hidden fantasies.
Worldbuilding
Introduction to the Harfords' privileged world: Bill's medical practice, their upscale lifestyle, the Ziegler Christmas party where Bill saves a woman from an overdose, and the comfortable routine of their marriage and family life with daughter Helena.
Disruption
Alice smokes marijuana and confesses her intense sexual fantasy about a naval officer she saw briefly on vacation, revealing she would have abandoned Bill and Helena for one night with this stranger—shattering Bill's assumptions about their marriage.
Resistance
Bill is called to a patient's death and gets unexpectedly propositioned by the daughter. He wanders the streets obsessed with images of Alice's confession, encounters a prostitute named Domino, nearly has sex with her but cannot follow through—his internal debate between desire and consequence.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Nick Nightingale tells Bill about the secret masked orgy with a password ("Fidelio"). Bill actively chooses to pursue this dangerous mystery, obtaining a costume and mask from Rainbow Fashions—a deliberate decision to enter a forbidden world.
Mirror World
At Rainbow Fashions, Bill encounters the costume shop owner Milich and his underage daughter with two Japanese men—a disturbing mirror of sexual transgression and corruption that reflects the moral ambiguity Bill is entering.
Premise
Bill infiltrates the mysterious masked ritual at Somerton mansion, witnessing elaborate sexual ceremonies. He's exposed as an impostor, and a mysterious masked woman sacrifices herself to save him from undefined punishment—the dark promise of the premise fully realized.
Midpoint
Bill is ejected from the orgy with ominous warnings. He returns home to find Alice laughing hysterically from a disturbing dream about the naval officer and orgies—a false defeat where both his secret adventure and his marriage seem to be unraveling simultaneously.
Opposition
Bill is followed by a mysterious stalker. He learns Nick has been hurt and sent away, discovers the masked woman may have died from an overdose, is confronted by Ziegler who reveals the ritual was staged. Pressure mounts as Bill realizes powerful forces are watching him and the consequences are deadly serious.
Collapse
Bill views the body of the mysterious woman at the morgue, confronting the literal "whiff of death." Whether she truly sacrificed herself for him or not, he faces the real consequences of his journey into transgression—someone is dead, and it may be connected to him.
Crisis
Bill returns home in emotional devastation, discovering his mask on the pillow next to sleeping Alice—proof that his secrets are known. He breaks down weeping beside her, processing the death of his illusions about marriage, desire, and his own identity.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Bill confesses everything to Alice—the entire odyssey from his patient's daughter to Domino to the orgy. He synthesizes the truth of his journey with vulnerability, choosing honesty over continued secrets, bringing his inner world into their shared reality.
Synthesis
Alice and Bill discuss what they've been through, take Helena Christmas shopping, and navigate the aftermath together. Alice acknowledges they should be grateful to have survived their fantasies and adventures, arriving at tentative understanding rather than easy resolution.
Transformation
In the toy store, Alice says "there is something very important we need to do as soon as possible... fuck." The crude word contrasts with the opening elegance—they're no longer naive about desire, fantasy, or fidelity, but choosing conscious commitment to their imperfect marriage.