classicsoncall One's patience will be rewarded if you make it to the end of the picture. I guess that's my way of saying that it won't appeal to everyone, especially if you quit half way in like another reviewer mentioned, stating that it didn't make any sense. I'd have to agree with that observation, at the half way point it doesn't make any sense. But disparate threads eventually come together, even if some of the elements introduced have no bearing on the story. The film has a creepy vibe going for it throughout and things are definitely not what they seem at first. As an example, I thought Francis Brown's (Bruce Greenwood) relationship with baby sitter Tracey (Sarah Polley) was headed into unspeakable territory, and then we come to find out that she's his niece. It's those kinds of twists and turns that keep one off balance, just like Eric's (Elias Koteas) set up to get Francis thrown out of the Club Exotica. You never really know which way the story is heading until the very last scene, and the payoff is distressingly sad and depressing for the film's principal character, who's unable to reconcile his conflicted emotions over the loss of a daughter and wife in unrelated circumstances. It's safe for me to say I haven't run across another picture like this, at least not that I can recall. Even the title "Exotica" has the effect of misdirecting one's expectations after the fact, as the strip club atmosphere at the center of the story only provides the venue for the story to unfold in a most unexpected way.

George I 'll begin with a quick summary spoiler free and then the details full of spoilers...Well well well Atom Egoyan has a reputation for making good films although I don't recall seeing any movie of his and I said to myself let's give it a try....Boy I was in for a surprise!! Well I consider this movie a comedy and pure cult. Now I would say that maybe the 90s were different times and that kind of atmosphere was usual in the movies but I don't think so. Really it seems to me just like a bad movie poorly directed at times and funny at others. It seemed like a non funny mediocre parody one would make of an art-house movie.SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERSMost of you fans of this movie upon reading the poorly directed line I wrote above would get mad and think what is he talking about? Did he watch a different movie? Well do you think the way the girl danced and the photography of that dance was well directed? It looked she had spasms for Christ's sake! And it didn't look erotic at all. It looked like a girl trying to act erotic but she looked absolutely ridiculous...And why why why she didn't show the customers her breasts? Or her ass? It was the worst effort of a striptease I ever seen in a movie. How was I supposed to get mesmerized by that if it looked ridiculous? Zoe was absolutely hilarious changing outfits and wearing these preposterous wigs all the time suddenly appearing on screen I got really confused and didn't know what was happening.. Near the end where Christina performs the last dance I couldn't help but laugh...Someone should show that girl how to dance. They all talked in this dull and monotonous way which was a lame and it made it kind of look like a cheap soap opera... The protagonist was really creepy in every way which made me confused of whether he's really troubled or just channeling his pain in his lust for under aged girls. It started strong like in a noir atmosphere for 5 minutes or so but it just shows one character the the other and the feeling is lost both because of the confusing flow of the plot and of the ridiculousness of the acting, the directing the photography well pretty much everything. At some point it felt like I watched episode of a series put together....Finally something that made an impression on me was the first scene in the valley that introduces us to the search of the protagonist's daughter. It manages to give an ominous feeling but it really looks out of place. I didn't gave it 2 or 3 stars only because he managed to create a nice atmosphere with nice colors etc...

inioi One of the recurring Atom Egoyan's topics is "loneliness". He has a special talent to show that behind the outward appearance of each person is easy to find fear, sadness, confusion, addiction ...This film clearly shows how difficult relations between people are. it seems that between the characters lies a karmic connection, and finally nothing is accidental. Everything is inextricably intertwined like a jigsaw puzzle.Emotions range from comprehensive to threatening, the erotic to the obsessive, from light to darkness ...The movie is therefore complex and not for all audiences9/10

cosmicly What might seem at first to be a superficial story about middle aged guys seeking escape in the exotic world of young and beautiful strippers is actually a deep and intricately woven story of intersecting lives. And those seemingly ordinary lives are charged with extraordinary catastrophe.Excellent directing by Atom Egoyan. Superb acting by Mia Kirshner, Elias Koteas, Bruce Greenwood and Don McKellar. And the power of the film is amplified by an unforgettable soundtrack that includes the haunting lament of Leonard Cohen's classic "Everybody Knows." At the denouement, we are left with an abiding sense of cosmic ache, and a hope that there is truth in Dostoevsky's assertion that "our evils are expiated by suffering."