Why did Stanley Kubrick insert bathrooms in his movies?

In almost every Stanley Kubrick film, a vital scene takes place in the bathroom – a pattern that is clearly not accidental. As one of the most renowned filmmakers, almost every aspect of Kubrick’s work has been tightly examined. However, his frequent insertion of bathroom scenes does not often receive the same attention as other thematic and stylistic choices. Yet, by recognising the importance of bathrooms and toilets in his work, these symbols take on even greater meaning, truly proving him to be a master of his craft. 

The bathroom is typically the only place in a house or building where one can experience absolute privacy, locked away from other members of the household. One does not have to follow social norms alone inside the bathroom, separated from the action in the rest of the house. Sociologist Erving Goffman wrote, “We are all just actors trying to control and manage our public image.”

In this sense, we use private bathrooms to shield other humans from seeing us perform universal bodily functions, otherwise revealing our animalistic qualities and minimising our appearance of civility. Therefore, Kubrick uses the bathroom as a background to reveal his character’s true intentions, feelings and nature, which they often cannot share elsewhere. A character’s deepest fears and desires are best revealed within a space representing a lack of pretension and no need to impress. 

In 1962’s Lolita, multiple pivotal scenes occur in the bathroom. Humbert, the obsessive paedophile enamoured by young Dolores, writes in his diary about his feelings, confessing that he only married Charlotte to have close access to her daughter. Here in the bathroom, the truth of Humbert’s character is allowed to be free. Once Charlotte finds the diary, which leads to her accidental death, Humbert is visited by his neighbours. Kubrick positions this meeting in the bathroom while Humbert enjoys a relaxed soak in the bath. The mixing of the private and public during this scene foreshadows the story’s tragic events. Humbert becomes too comfortable letting people into his private sphere, failing to hide his lack of sadness over Charlotte’s death. Eventually, Humbert loses Dolores because his mask slips; what was once contained in the bathroom seeps out, leading to his downfall. 

Kubrick continued to emphasise the importance of bathrooms in his subsequent movies, from Dr Strangelove to Eyes Wide Shut. In the former, General Ripper commits suicide in the bathroom to escape punishment, using the private space as a shield from authority — this is something also replicated in Full Metal Jacket as Private Pyle takes first Sgt. Hartman’s then his own life in the shared toilets. In the latter, the bathroom is where Bill is called to attend to a woman who has overdosed. The party host doesn’t care about the woman, he simply wants to ensure no word gets out about what happened for the sake of appearances. This incident sets in motion Bill’s journey towards corruption and secrecy. However, one of the director’s most prominent uses of bathrooms can be seen in his mysterious film The Shining. 

In the 1980 movie, some of the most critical moments are set in bathrooms, beginning with Danny Torrence’s vision in the mirror, where he sees blood pouring out of the hotel’s lifts and the Grady twins standing in the corridor. The true nature of the haunted hotel is revealed in this scene, which we discover further as the film progresses. 

Moreover, Jack witnesses a beautiful naked woman exiting a bathtub in the bathroom of Room 237, only for her to transform into a decaying, elderly woman. Desire breaks down, and the ugly truth about the hotel is emphasised. He also meets Delbert Grady in a blood-red bathroom, the former butler who killed his entire family and is now encouraging Jack to do the same. Human morals and values lose their potency as the pair talk, and the hotel’s evil nature takes hold. Finally, the iconic “Here’s Johnny!” scene takes place in a bathroom, with Jack infringing on Wendy’s privacy by slicing through the door with an axe. Whereas the bathroom highlights Jack’s insanity and lack of humanity, it demonstrates Wendy’s newfound power as she cuts his hand and escapes. Although Wendy is shown as anxious, timid and passive – due to her abusive relationship with Jack, her underlying strength emerges in the bathroom.

The prominence of bathrooms in The Shining (and the rest of Kubrick’s films) highlights the characters’ true fears, desires, and deepest secrets, demonstrating the breakdown of humanity, social norms, and niceties. Evil is at work in the minds of many of the director’s characters, yet, their downfalls appear when the door to the bathroom is unlocked and others are invited in.