I've been working through Kubrick's filmography in order and something struck me on this rewatch of 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Every composition is either perfectly symmetrical or deliberately, noticeably asymmetrical. There's no neutral framing. When Dave walks down the corridor in the HAL segment, the symmetry creates a sense of inevitability that the dialogue alone couldn't carry. You feel the walls closing in before anything has happened.

The interesting thing is that this technique only works if it's invisible to casual viewers. Most people watching 2001 for the first time are thinking about the story, not about why certain shots feel like inevitability made visible.

Has anyone else noticed that the further you get into his filmography, the more the symmetry starts to feel oppressive rather than orderly? That feels intentional.