Great visuals, story delivers no surprises

Admirable film.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

I like Exotica for its relaxed atmosphere and pacing. It isn't jumping around trying to be about something or knock you out with unexpected twists. The characters and style draw you in. The strip club Exotica is special. It seems vaguely artistic rather than sordid. It has palm trees and plants, smoke that suggests water vapour - it's a bit like a tropical rainforest. And then a young woman dressed as a schoolgirl comes out, starts dancing, miming actions to the words of a Leonard Cohen song (which also adds a lot to the mood), taking her clothes off absent-mindedly. She seems to be in her own world, not specifically dancing for an audience. It's entrancing especially because of the way it's filmed. And as the DJ Eric (Elias Koteas) says, there's something mysteriously appealing about the innocence of a schoolgirl combined with an erotic dance (by an adult woman).Her main client is Francis (Bruce Greenwood) who seems solely interested in her and perhaps for something more or other than just sexual entertainment. She fulfills a psychological niche for him. Maybe it's her eyes, her personality, her patience to listen to him. Well, we find out much more as the movie progresses. All of the characters are somewhat intertwined. It's pretty creative when you think back afterwards. It isn't simply cute, it's not a gimmick or a device to make you think the film is clever. The film could reveal everything from the start and still work similarly. But it's a nice touch to slowly let us find out about the connections.The characters are flawed but in ways that make them endearing rather than annoying. Francis has a calm demeanour which seems to hide inner feelings of regret or sadness. We learn he has been affected by a loss. When police investigate a crime, secrets come out. We see this happen in countless movies and TV shows. But there rarely seems to be any concern for the ways in which these secrets may hurt people. It's funny that major things may be revealed but nobody blinks an eye or apologises because it's all towards the greater cause of solving the crime (usually a murder). In any case, Francis had to endure several unpleasant things. He actually seems to have coped with the ordeal well - he doesn't appear overly bitter. But it's the ever-present reality of his permanent loss that he can't overcome.There is a side-plot which seems less necessary and interesting but I guess its oddness still makes it interesting to watch. And in the end, it still connects back to the main story and maintains the overall mood of the movie. It involves Thomas who smuggles eggs and goes to the ballet with strangers who know something about him.I like the way we learn more and more about the characters and they all seem so human. Confused at times, uncomfortable with each-other, saying things half-way between wise and meaningless, spying on each-other, needing things from each-other. There's a nice motif of people watching others through half mirrors (or listening on a recording device). We believe other people have what we need, they have the secrets to fix our life, to satisfy us.This is a movie I need to see again at some stage to properly appreciate. It is satisfying that the plot doesn't really leave holes. Well, there might be motivational gaps in between what we know but we can ponder how and why things happened by ourselves. I guess it's all about understanding and appreciating the characters and this is the kind of movie that rewards your trust and investing your time.

Interesting opening credits. Interesting cast. Interesting use of Leonard Cohen's song. But in totality, just above average. The film deals with a set of characters, each having some sort of a psychological problem. Visually strong, but content-wise very weak.This is my first Egoyan film. He has evidently some talent to make a viewer sit up and expect the unusual. But why populate an entire film with problem characters? That's not reality.The most interesting bit was actor Don McKellar who plays Thomas is made to look like the director Atom Egoyan, complete with his glasses. Is that an autobiographical touch?

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.

Egoyan's 'Exotica' is about emotionally isolated people who try to connect with each other. With every interaction between the characters there are symbolic barriers either in the form of finance, two way mirrors and social rules. But once this barrier is seized (symbolically) in the form of physical contact like the touch between Thomas and Chrissy and between Frances and Eric they form a connection. Egoyan does not resolve the 'problems' by showing the characters healed but instead what he demonstrates is that this human connection has brought change within them.In contrast, we also see how the characters once connected but now have drifted apart like Frances and Kristina or Zoe and Eric or Thomas and the officer. Explaining it more would be giving away too much of the story. While we see all these characters struggle to connect, there is Zoe who tries to keep things together but she too is sitting behind a one-way mirror. Egoyan uses plenty of symbolism and simple storytelling just isn't his style. He uses a rather suggestive approach. What he does in 'Exotica' is reveal very slowly.Moving at a slow pace, the film does 'test' the viewer's patience but there are a lot of subtle things happening and one has to observe closely to see that things aren't what they seem on the surface. There's a film-noire type quality to it. A lot of darkness is used, both symbolically and actually. The dialogues are simple but profound in depth. The haunting soundtrack gives the film a seductive and sensual edge.The performances are superb all the way. This is the first time I see Bruce Greenwood turn in a decent performance. Elias Koteas and Don McKellar are first rate. A very young Sarah Polley shows what potential she has. Arsinée Khanjian is terrific. Mia Kirschner blends excellently blends sensuality, pain, fragility and kindness into Chrissy.'Exotica' is not everyone's kind of film. Some may find its theme too dark and too intense but it's a film that isn't afraid to reveal, suggest and challenge the viewer.