Kubrick’s Game: Puzzle-Thriller for Film Geeks

What if Stanley Kubrick left behind more than just his classic films? What if he also left behind an elaborate puzzle cleverly buried within his films, which would lead the player toward a treasure that could change the course of human history?

Fifteen years after his death in March 1999, Stanley Kubrick has apparently arranged a hand-selected announcement that his films are far more than they appear to be. As UCLA’s resident Kubrick expert, Professor Mascaro was the recipient of Kubrick’s package. Inside is a reproduction of the famous photo Kubrick took for the cover of Look Magazine following the death of FDR.

On the back of the photo is a message written by Kubrick that reads: “Follow me to Q’s identity.” Mascaro is stumped and asks Shawn Hagan, his brilliant but socially awkward film student, what he thinks that might mean.

Shawn takes the photo and studies it, and realizes that the answer to Q’s identity is hidden within the dialogue and imagery of the first film Kubrick had complete control over–“Lolita.”

The clues lead the friends to an old hotel in New York, where a mysterious package has been held by the concierge for twenty years. The package contains the next clue in the puzzle as well as a filmed message from Kubrick himself that confirms the construct of the elaborate game. Unfortunately, at least two other groups have recently uncovered this first part of the puzzle.

By the end, Kubrick will have proven his genius to be unmatched, when the game takes the player far beyond the boundaries of reality and sends him into the darkest realms of the human mind in order to make it to the final stage. This climactic set piece is surely the most difficult and diabolical puzzle ever created by man.

Shawn will have to face his own demons and reconnect with those who care about him in order to receive the great treasure that is Kubrick’s final legacy and gift to humanity.