Exotica (1995)

Sadly Over-hyped

Good concept, poorly executed.

Blistering performances.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

'Exotica' is a film that exists in a realm that can be called elevated reality. This is because neither is the narrative fully grounded in hardcore realism, nor does it expect the viewer to suspend disbelief completely. The movie remains suspended in between hardcore realism and fantasy fiction, which ends up giving it a tone of poetic realism.Thematically the film is primarily about grief, emotional baggage and the lasting effect that sorrow can have in a person's life. The opening line of dialogue is - 'You have to ask yourself, what brought this person to this point?' I think this line very succinctly summarises the film. We come across various characters who are engaged in various activities. Director Atom Egoyan slowly and gradually divulges secrets about their past lives and slowly we get to understand what baggage all these characters carry and how they are connected to each other, some directly, some tangentially. We come to understand that all these characters have had incidents happen to them in the past which have shaped and molded their present. In order to deal with grief and past trauma, some characters have had to adopt options that many people might call objectionable and morally questionable. This is where Egoyan lends an air of humanism to the film as he tries to understand why and what circumstance will compel someone to choose to do something morally problematic(like spending every night in a strip club and watching a young girl dressed in a schoolgirl's uniform dance for you) instead of judging them for their choices.Another prominent thematic element in the film is the presence of a constant series of 'transactions'. Characters constantly engage in transactions and exchange favours from one another like the transaction between Francis and Christina, the contract between Zoe and Eric, the agreement between Francis and Tracey, the exchange of ballet tickets between Thomas and the random strangers at the ballet performances,etc. The root cause of these transactions is again the need for people to get to terms with their grief, their loneliness and their lives as a whole.The film is called 'Exotica' because the strip club called 'Exotica' plays a central role in the film. But why did Egoyan decide to name the strip club as well as the film 'Exotica'? Whenever someone hears the term exotic there is a tendency to equate it with something sexual. However it has to be said, that the scenes in the strip club aren't really very sexy or alluring. So again the question stands, why is the film called 'Exotica'? My interpretation of the name goes like this - 'exotic' in the true sense of the word means something that seems unfamiliar to a person's usual existence. In the scenes inside the strip club, what is noticeable is that instead of focusing on the naked dancers, Egoyan devotes a lot of shots to capturing the faces of the male clients who sit at all the tables, one of them being Francis himself. Something that is easily visible is the look of acute indifference on the faces of these men. Yes they are appreciating the ladies dancing for them, but one can see the indifference in their eyes which is hiding some sort of latent sadness. This gets explored more deeply through the exploration of the character of Francis. So, this strip club is sort of like the garden of Eden for these men(the trees and palms give the club a distinctive look too) where they come to escape from their real sadness to enjoy a few moments of planned make- believe. Since the club gives them an experience which gives the men a relief from their tough realities, it is called 'Exotica' and since the major characters in the film go out of their way to cope with the grim realities of their lives, it is only natural that the film will be called the same too.The primary score composed by Mychael Danna is just perfect as it so beautifully captures the tone of the film. The score certainly sounds exotic and has a distinct Middle-Eastern vibe to it which lends it a bit of a seductive aura. However, beneath the seductive edge, one can also very distinctly notice a melancholic core that enriches the score.Performance wise I think everyone is brilliant. But I'll give a special mention to Bruce Greenwood and Mia Kirshner. Bruce Greenwood exudes and lends so much sensitivity to Francis and makes him an absolutely heartbreaking character.'Exotica' is a film about people with grieving hearts who are compelled to engage in transactions and make compromises in order to cope with their severely distressing lives. It is a very humane film that tries to understand the characters instead of judging them. Highly Recommended.

The first time I have seen this movie was 10 year ago. I recorded it on video back then and watched it at least 4 times in last 10 years. It's very unusual for me, I rarely watch a movie twice. This movie has all ingredients that make a good movie for me: Awesome characters, perfectly fitting actors that play them well. Great music and a stunning atmosphere. (The music is simplified, unusual and perfectly fitting.) An amazing story that moves you and keeps you interested till the end.In addition to that, the movie has some nice bonus points: It's sexy (I love Mia Kirshner), intelligent and forces you to think. - And that is probably the one thing I like the most about movies.

"Exotica" deals totally with obsession. Writer/director Atom Egoyan does well to get us hooked on his central characters, without knowing why they are behaving as they do. The plot centres around strip club "Exotica" as Egoyan teases out his tale like a striptease, little by little showing us more of who these people are and why.The resolution is perhaps disappointing (like a striptease when all has been revealed), failing to fulfill our high hopes. Best character is Francis, who appears to change before our eyes as the film progresses. It is not really he who changes however, but our perception of him. Likewise we view all the players differently in the end, though some of their motivations are hastily explained, if at all.Fantastic performances wrap up this oft times mesmerising film, with Bruce Greenwood a particular standout as Francis. Mia Kirshner (Christina) and Don McKellar (Thomas) are strong too. Also stars Elias Koteas as Eric and Arsinee Khanjian as Zoe.The exotic score is from Mychael Danna, and Paul Sarossy's camera captures Linda del Rosario and Richard Paris' production design (eye catching at times) well.Monday, November 3, 1997 - Hoyts Croydon Cinema

(Note: Over 500 of my movie reviews are now available in my book "Cut to the Chaise Lounge or I Can't Believe I Swallowed the Remote!" Get it at Amazon.)Atom Egoyan's Exotica is an outstanding movie. I have seen Egoyan's The Sweet Hereafter (1997) which is also very good. A father's (obsessive) love for his daughter(s) is featured in both movies, consequently the theme must mean something special to Egoyan. He is a most talented and original movie maker, a Canadian as are his players, Bruce Greenwood, (Francis Brown, the accountant whose daughter was murdered), Sarah Polley, (Tracey, the high school girl), and Mia Kirshner, (Christina, the exotic dancer). His wife, Arsinee Khanjian and Polley were also featured in The Sweet Hereafter.What really makes the movie is Egoyan's use of time and action sequence. He cuts up the chronological order of events and then presents them in a dramatic way. This is not so easy to do. Christopher Nolan in Memento (2000) used the same technique to great advantage. I have come late to such a technique and would love to master it myself. I worked on it last year and a couple of years before. You can't just scissor it and then paste it back together. Something must be gained from reversing the order of events. When Eric and Christina are shown walking the fields in a long line of people I jumped to the conclusion that Tracey would be found dead. We don't learn that Francis lost his daughter until the film is nearly finished.The psychology of Francis and the young girls is interesting. Christina says she gave something to him and he gave something to her. This vagueness with its unmistakable sexuality is something that always exists between young girls and older men. And, as Egoyan observes, there are rules and awkwardness, and confused emotions. However the girl wants it made unmistakably clear that she is desired physically and just talk is almost never sufficient. She often doesn't know whether she really wants to be "taken" fully, and of course that is usually, shall we say, problematic. Some great subtly is required in handled such a theme, and Egoyan realizes that. His character Francis Brown is content with fantasy and does not touch at all.This film would have found a larger audience except for the title, the theme, and the milieu. The female audience for the most part didn't even consider watching the movie since, as one woman said, I thought it was just another movie with an older man lusting after a girl half his age. That theme bores women to death. But surprisingly at the IMDb a viewer asks how women feel about the film and several write in to say that they liked it. Another poster remarks that women over forty actually liked Exotica in higher percentages than males.I thought the veracious and business-like depiction of the exotic dancer club was well done. The very nice side plot with the gay animal importer was just a perfect fit for the main plot. Egoyan wrote the script. It is a great script. So much surprises. It's almost too good. For me, since I have seen so many, many movies, something different, some surprises in plot, in character, in treatment are always welcome.And the plot does surprise. Even when the protagonist, Francis waits outside the club to shoot Eric, Egoyan turns the situation on its head by having Eric appear from the side and explain something that changes Francis's attitude toward him.I am being vague because I don't want to spoil the story. Some movies—most movies I would say, since I go back to the generation that would go into the theatre and sit down during the middle of the movie; and then four or five hours later, realize, "This is where I came in"--in most movies to know the ending or the plot would not spoil the movie. We know so and so dies at the end. What is interesting is how he dies, how the actions develops. But in this movie to know the plot would take something away.I think. I'm not sure. Anyway Francis is a tax auditor who lost his daughter when she was less than eight years old. She was murdered. The police initially thought he did it, but he was found innocent and the murderer was apprehended and convicted. But Francis is left hollow and tries to bring her back in a way by having teenage girls "babysit" his nonexistent daughter. Egoyan teases us near the beginning by showing Francis and Tracey in his car as he drops her off at her home giving her some money and asking, "Are you free Thursday?" Very near the end of the movie we find that Tracey had a precursor in that babysitting role. You might be able to guess who it was.The sound track features "Everybody Knows" by Leonard Cohen.