Exotica Movie Review

Before he was Nowhere Man, Bruce Greenwood was Francis the tax inspector in Atom Egoyan's Exotica. Francis is a nightly customer at the Exotica strip club, mainly because Christina (Mia Kirschner) works there. Francis’ interest in Christina disturbs Eric (Elias Koteas), the club dee jay who used to go with her. But obsession always finds a way to feed itself. There are many subterranean currents in Exotica and Egoyan gives us tantalizing glimpses of all of them. The club, a world in itself, taps into the fantasies of all who drift into it, yet there's a ubiquitous sense of unease that all is not well in that world. A fine cast, a hypnotic script, and lush art direction contribute to make Exotica an eerie experience with plenty of repeat value.

1994 (R) 104m/C CA Mia Kirshner, Elias Koteas, Bruce Greenwood, Don McKellar, Victor Garber, Arsinee Khanjian, Sarah Polley, Calvin Green, David Hemblen; D: Atom Egoyan; W: Atom Egoyan; C: Paul Sarossy; M: Mychael Danna. Genie Awards ‘94: Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Director (Egoyan), Best Film, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (McKellar), Best Original Score; Toronto-City Award ‘94: Best Canadian Feature Film; Nominations: Genie Awards ‘94: Best Actor (Greenwood), Best Actor (Koteas); Independent Spirit Awards ‘96: Best Foreign Film. VHS, LV, Closed Caption