Synopsis
In the upscale Toronto strip club Exotica, dancer Christina is visited nightly by the obsessive Francis, a depressed tax auditor. Her ex-boyfriend, the club's MC, Eric, still jealously pines for her even as he introduces her onstage, but Eric is having his own relationship problems with the club's female owner. Thomas, a mysterious pet-shop owner, is about to become unexpectedly involved in their lives.
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Cast
- Bruce GreenwoodFrancis
- Mia KirshnerChristina
- Elias KoteasEric
- Don McKellarThomas
- Sarah PolleyTracey Brown
- Arsinée KhanjianZoe
- Victor GarberHarold
- David HemblenInspector
- Calvin GreenCustoms Officer
- Peter KrantzMan in Taxi
Recommendations
- 100
Chicago Sun-Times
Exotica is a movie labyrinth, winding seductively into the darkest secrets of a group of people who should have no connection with one another, but do. - 100
ReelViews
Egoyan has taken a seemingly-simple story and woven it into a near-masterpiece, creating images and an atmosphere that establish the perfect backdrop for a tale of loss, grief, and eroticism. - 83
Entertainment Weekly
Like Christina’s dance, the movie is a gorgeous tease, an artful promise of something that never quite arrives. - 80
Rolling Stone
Egoyan is an acquired taste, but once in, you’re hooked. Exotica is Egoyan’s most accomplished and seductive film to date — even tackling acute psychic distress, Egoyan’s deadpan comic eye never flinches. - 78
Austin Chronicle
Egoyan's greatest strength as a filmmaker may be his ability to create and sustain particular moods and atmospheres. In that sense, Exotica lives up to its name. - 75
San Francisco Examiner
Exotica is a worthy addition to an increasingly rich body of work by one of our most prolific and accomplished international filmmakers. - 70
The New York Times
Exotica may not be as perfectly formed as some of Mr. Egoyan's earlier work. Because Thomas's subplot is not as intriguing as the scenes in the club, the stories take too long to merge. But the flaws are minor. Mr. Egoyan continues to build an important, uncompromising career. - 70
Washington Post
Stylish, intelligent but rather soulless bit of moviemaking.
