5.0 out of 5 stars Help For the Viewer?

O. · May 30, 2005

(function() { P.when('cr-A', 'ready').execute(function(A) { if(typeof A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel === 'function') { A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel('review_text_read_more', 'Read more of this review', 'Read less of this review'); } }); })(); .review-text-read-more-expander:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #2162a1; outline-offset: 2px; border-radius: 5px; } CAUTION-SPOILERS AHEAD-EXOTICA has been overwhelmingly praised by the critics. I think the Tomatometer is at 95% favorable. Here is my take on EXOTICA-maybe it will help some viewers to appreciate this fine film.The film is very much a paradox, sensual but sterile, intense but distant, hollow but haunting. It is a complex story with a relatively simple theme. The characters include Francis (Bruce Greenwood) as a Canadian government revenue auditor who is auditing the financials of an exotic pet store (whose owner Thomas is played by Don McKeller) while trying to exorcise his demons at a strip club called EXOTICA. During his nocturnal visits to the club he pays his niece Tracey (played by Sarah Polley) to baby-sit his seemingly absent daughter. The viewer gets to know the strip club DJ, Eric (Elias Koteas); a stripper, Christina (Mia Kirshner) who dances for Francis and happens to be Eric's ex-girlfriend; and the very pregnant (by Eric) club owner Zoe (Arsinee Khanjian) who is having an affair with Christina.The plot is an example of elliptical storytelling in that it moves in a purposeful ever-circling way to slowly reveal the connections between the worlds of each character. There is enough misdirection to keep the viewer wary of their perceptions. They must pay complete attention and remember what they see.There are significant technical reasons to like this film. It is first and foremost a director's film and Adam Egoyan's directing is amazing. A director is responsible for both casting and for directing their cast. For Exotica Egoyan added to his cast of regulars two of the best young actresses (Kirshner and Polley) in Canada. Kirshner's performance provides an extremely unusual combination of sensuality and thinly masked pain. Polley is simply the most subtly expressive actress in film today. They are world class talents who seem to deliberately stay away from mainstream films but have little trouble getting lots of work. Greenwood, McKellar, Koteas, and Khanjian, are likewise excellent. Egoyan kept all six reined-in so that their performances are low-key and restrained. While there were many stylish and beautiful camera shots he mostly keeps the characters at a distance. Exotic décor, busy sets, atmosphere, restrained acting, minimal tight shots, and frequent plot misdirection keeps the viewer from bonding or strongly identifying with the characters. He did not want the viewer getting into the heads of the characters, he wanted us to internalize the theme and to take it into our heads. This way if we pay attention we will learn as much about ourselves as we will about the characters.The theme is substitution, how the process of living is simply a process of substitution. We grow out of things and find substitutes for them. We lose something precious but we carry on by finding a substitute. We expand our horizons and find substitutes that we did not know about or that we thought unattainable. We need something we can't have so we find something that works as a substitute. Sometimes the substitutes are an improvement on the original, sometimes they are a better match with a new stage of life, sometimes they are an imperfect substitute but the best that we can manage, and sometimes (certainly in this film) they are an addictive trap that keep us from moving on or growing.Most people's dreams don't come true and they settle for a substitute, often without really noticing. The most compelling scene in `Field of Dreams' is when Burt Lancaster is talking about what it was like to give up his dream of playing major league baseball. He says: `It was like coming this close to your dream and then watching it brush past you like a stranger in a crowd. At the time I didn't think much about it. We just don't recognize the most significant moments in our lives when they happen. Back then I thought: there will be other days, I didn't realize that was the only day'. While his character accepted the end of his dream and substituted a life as the town doctor, in Exotica the substitutes are dysfunctional because there is no acceptance. That is why so many of the substitutions involve payment, a transactional substitution is a temporary event and allows the illusion to stay alive.Exotica focuses on the substitutes used by its central characters. Francis substitutes Christina for his daughter and Tracey for Christina (when she was his daughter's babysitter). Eric substitutes his club DJ job for the career he wanted in radio, he substitutes his voyeurism in the club for his inability to have a lasting relationship. Zoe substitutes for her dead mother and continues to run the club, instead of a husband she has Eric contractually substitute so that she can have a baby. Thomas substitutes his opera liaisons for a real relationship and substitutes an incubator for the eggs he has taken from a nest. Christina substitutes a protective Francis for her uncaring and probably abusive father. Voyeurism substitutes for interaction.Eric's voyeurism eventually leads him to the conclusion that the Francis-Christina mutual dependency has gone from a temporary coping mechanism to an addictive trap. He elects to destroy that relationship by convincing Francis to touch Christina. Eric knows that the relationship must end once this occurs, no matter how Christina reacts. Either she will no longer be able to use Francis because he betrayed her trust or Francis will no longer be able to use her because he can no longer maintain his illusion of protecting her purity. Then they will both have to move on and seek new and hopefully more positive substitutes.Contrary to some who have commented on this film I did not see any real `plot holes'. Almost every detail is eventually explained and if anything Egoyan made the plot a little too predictable. But at least this was balanced by some interesting misdirection-like having Tracey live above a shabby strip mall so you jump to the conclusion that she is a child prostitute and that Francis has a thing for young girls. Certainly on the second viewing it is clear that many clues are provided and that the outcome is being subtly telegraphed throughout the film in a kind of mental striptease.As already mentioned, the really unique feature of this movie is that the viewer does not really connect with the characters but instead connects with the substitution theme. The audience is given a new perspective from which to think about their own substitutions. Perceptive members of the audience are forced to be more than observers. This is powerful stuff.Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully, Hypnotically Therapeutic.

J.S. · September 27, 2016

Since I discovered this movie over 10 years ago I simply cannot stop watching it. I own it on DVD and now also have it on Blu Ray. It's worth getting the Blu Ray for the beauty of the Mychael Dana soundtrack alone. The film is layered with nuances and complex relationships that simply cannot be absorbed in one, two or even three viewings. And so I keep watching. The plot is complex and time is not portrayed in a straight line. This is a dream. Pay attention! Director Atom Egoyan is the master of exploring the manifold aspects of being human: love, loss, birth, death, sadness, jealousy, desire, fear, beauty and pain. There is a hypnotic aspect to the film and soundtrack, as though Egoyan is a therapist coaxing the viewer to enter a dream state and confront all that is subconsciously haunting the soul. In the film we see the subconscious at work in the squirming agony of main character Francis. We see the closed in unconscious darkness of his soul highlighted against the light of truth, the confined murky darkness of a strip club against the open beautiful truth of a sunlit pasture. Amazing grace, once was blind now can see! We see how the subconscious can cause intense pain until the truth is brought to the light of day. We are forced to look at the black holes that can form in every human soul. We see how such emptiness can leave us grasping and clutching and crying out. And half blind we are all looking for that exotic and elusive something that can make us whole, whether it be sex, money, control or the love of another human. Egoyan shows us that ultimately connection and compassion and love and empathy can heal. Light, the truth and understanding can heal. This film begs us to face all the painfully human aspects of ourselves, to open the deepest squirming crevices of ourselves to the light of day.

5.0 out of 5 stars "You Have To Ask Yourself What Brought The Person To This Point?"

B.E.E. · January 16, 2006

This is an undiscovered gem of a film with an incredibly inventive and powerful script that is sure to suprise and please. 'Exotica', a "Gentleman's Club", is the focal point of a world in search of meaning. Men come not just to watch beautiful women sensually dance in various stages of undress. They come to forget, however briefly, the pain and suffering they have experienced in the world outside.Christina (Mia Kirshner) and Eric (Elias Koteas) work at the club, Christina as a dancer, Eric as the DJ. As the customers watch the enchanting Christina perform on-stage and privately, Eric watches the customers watch her. As you might have guessed, while moods and emotions are generally muted and controlled within the confines of Exotica they are forever on the verge of breaking through the illusory nature created and sustained by alcohol and sexual stimulation. There are untold stories to be brought into the light of day and only when the truth is known will the many tangled relationships and reasons for being there finally make sense.Director Atom Egoyan has conjoured up a place outside of time and space, a purgatorial oasis where all regrets, memories and hopes converge into the incessant drone of the music and the tantalizing movements of the dancers. Truly a stunning vision that will stay with the viewer for quite sometime. Definitely not a film for everyone, 'Exotica' deals with adult situations and contains numerous scenes of nudity and some mild homosexuality. However this thoughtful, probing tale ultimately transcends most of the dark, depressing elements and offers a ray of hope and forgiveness. If you're the adventureous type who is looking for something different 'Exotica' is definitely the film for you.Mia Kirshner and Elias Koteas (two of my favorite actresses/actors) are fantastic. Also wonderful performances by Bruce Greenwood, Don McKellar, Arsinee Khanjian and a young Sarah Polley.

Five Stars

L.G.T. · July 1, 2015

(function() { P.when('cr-A', 'ready').execute(function(A) { if(typeof A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel === 'function') { A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel('review_text_read_more', 'Read more of this review', 'Read less of this review'); } }); })(); .review-text-read-more-expander:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #2162a1; outline-offset: 2px; border-radius: 5px; } Good and as I expected. Atom Egoyan always plays with your expectations, but in a more honest way than Mamet insofar as every plot development and twist is both logical and true. Mind games are not his forty he is more interested in examining despair and redemption.This film is one of his finest examples .

Dvd

C.A. · July 11, 2024

Dvd ok

Verbotene Berührungen...

R. · June 11, 2022

Dieser packende, melancholische, aufwühlende Film aus dem Jahr 1994 unter der Regie des kanadischen Regisseurs Atom Egoyan wurde eigentlich als Erotikthriller beworben.Allerdings handelt es sich dabei vielmehr um ein Drama mit einer sinnlichen Atmosphäre voller Geheimnisse und weniger um einen Thriller.Die Handlung wird etwas verschachtelt und nicht immer in chronologischer Reihenfolge erzählt ... erst gegen Ende werden die Puzzlesteine zusammengesetzt.Ein Nachtclub namens „Exotica“ dient hier als Zentrum eines emotionalen Strudels von Sex, Liebe, Voyeurismus, Familie und Ideologie. Ein ungemein ruhiger und sehr hypnotischer Film, der mit den Mitteln des Striptease erreicht, was Striptease allein nie bieten kann.Es geht dabei um ein sonderbares Beziehungsgeflecht zwischen Figuren, die sich besser nie über den Weg gelaufen wären. Aus ihren Einzelschicksalen und Gefühlswelten ergibt sich nicht nur eine tiefe Tragik, sondern gleichermassen eine elektrisierende Spannung, die durch die sinnlichen Anspielungen noch intensiver wird.Wobei ich gestehen muss, dass ich den "erotischen" Tanz von Mia Kirshner mit seinen vielen ruckartigen, ungeschmeidigen Bewegungen nicht als besonders sinnlich empfand, die Musikbegleitung dazu, Leonard Cohens "Everybody Knows" wesentlich intensiver war.Im Mittelpunkt der Handlung steht der Steuerprüfer Francis Brown (Bruce Greenwood), der durch tragische Ereignisse in seiner Vergangenheit vollends aus dem Gleichgewicht geratene, allnächtliche Besucher des Striplokals „Exotica“ wo Christina (Mia Kirshner) ebenfalls jede Nacht in einer Schuluniform exklusiv an seinem Tisch ihre erotische Aufführung darbietet. Überall posieren fast unbekleidete Frauen vor den nur mit einem Mann besetzten Tischen. Ein exclusiver Club, geführt von der schwangeren Besitzerin Zoe (gespielt von Atom Egoyans Ehefrau Arsinée Khanjian), wo man sich um die jeweils besonderen Wünsche der Kunden kümmert, dennoch ist es den Gästen nicht erlaubt, die Damen ihrer Wahl zu berühren. Jeder Auftritt wird säuselnd moderiert von DJ Eric (Elias Koteas) hoch oben auf seinem Balkon, der als Christinas besitzergreifender Ex-Freund eifersüchtig ihre Tanzdarbietungen an Francis`Tisch beobachtet und einen Plan schmiedet, um diesen für ihn unerwünschten Dauergast wieder loszuwerden. Doch das Verhältnis zwischen Francis und Christina ist längst nicht, was es auf den ersten Blick und aufgrund des Orts ihrer Zusammenkunft zu sein scheint...Francis ist in seiner Funktion als Steuerprüfer gerade bei dem Tierhändler Thomas Pinto (Don McKellar) tätig, der sich nebenher mit kleinen Schmuggelgeschäften etwas dazu verdient. Und so wird auch er unfreiwillig in diese Geschichte hineingezogen …Alle Charaktere sind irgendwie gezeichnet und kämpfen mit den Gespenstern der Vergangenheit, Selbstzweifeln oder damit, sich und die Dinge einfach nicht so sehen zu wollen, wie sie tatsächlich sind. So baut sich jeder sein eigenes Lügengewebe auf, dessen Aufrechterhaltung ihn in die Einsamkeit treibt.Obwohl die Erzählweise der Handlung sehr ruhig ist, scheint es im Hinblick auf die sich ergebenden Konflikte regelrecht, wenn auch auf subtile Weise, zu brodeln. Man folgt wie gebannt den Figuren und fragt sich dabei, auf welche Auflösung die Geschichte hinsteuert. Dabei ist der Film unglaublich vielschichtig, voller Symbolik und Themen, dass „Exotica“ allein schon dadurch fasziniert. Hinzu kommt, dass die Ereignisse auch eine Vorgeschichte haben, welche noch irgendwie hineinverflochten werden musste. Und erst wer diese kennt, erkennt auch die Zusammenhänge, weiß oder ahnt zumindest, warum hier was geschieht.„Exotica“ ist ein rätselhaftes und fantasievolles Filmerlebnis, dessen Bilder einem noch über Tage im Gedächtnis haften bleiben und die wiederholt zum Nachdenken anregen.Für mich Atom Egoyans bester Film und wirklich sehr sehenswert.

On Blu-ray AT LAST!

D.E. · June 25, 2012

I first watched this movie in a German cinema early in 1995. I was overwhelmed, as well as my attendance, a very good friend. As soon as the DVD releases came out, I started to collect them. Not only from North America, also in Europe and every region I could get access to. I haven't found one which was totally satisfying. Mostly, the pictures were too dark, the colours not adequate. And now, at last, after seventeen years, the Blu-ray release is here.At last, the pictures and the light are satisfying. This is how it all should be. I haven't seen this movie in a cinema for many years now, but I always knew how the light and the colours have to look like. This is eventually realized on this disc.I may be hypercritically cinephilistic, but I as a film-lover, I would have preferred the original 1.85:1 ratio, however, for whatever reason, the movie comes in 1.78:1. Just to fit the 16:9 screen? This is hard to understand, for me at least.The sound comes in 2.0, which is like in 1994/95, but I hoped they could expand it to 5.1 to get the real experience, especially in the club scenes.No extras but an audio commentary of the director and the composer - obviously very well done.As this is one of my all-time favourites, I have to give the highest score, with a couple of stains remaining.

ottimo film ottimo dvd

c.o. · May 14, 2020

bellissimo film, capolavoro di Egoyan. Dvd ottimo.