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Exotica | Year: 1995 Directed: - Atom Egoyan Actors/Actresses: - Elias Koteas - Bruce Greenwood - Don McKellar - Arsinee Khanjian - Mia Kirshner - Don Mckellar Pity about the cover This film is so beautifully odd and bizarre, yet in a strange way close to the human heart. I was reluctant to watch this film due to the dreadful cover of the videotape but was talked into it by a film fanatic who owned a small video store with independent films.... I have to admit the cover for the video is dreadful (to say the least) but this film..what can I say? An original work, like no other American (Canadian? Miramax is American and Canada is North America, so American) "independent" of the 90s. From the simple yet captivating direction and cinematography, to the intelligent and deeply emotional screenplay, the beautiful mise-en-scene and decor, and ofcourse the eery Middle Eastern soundtrack, the film is a flawless masterpiece. But I still insist....Shame on those who designed the cover for the video...as well as Miramax for selling the movie as a more sophisticated version of "Showgirls." A fascinating and highly provocative mosaic First of all, Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan's lavishly intense film is NOT to be mistaken for "Showgirls," nor for any triple-x movie (although it IS R-rated).<BR> Although the film presents certain elements of mystery (and one must pay extraordinary attention to both detail and innuendo), the intensity of the characters and plot propel the film across several levels. The viewer hangs on every word, both to pick up (almost desperately) clues toward understanding the over-lapping stories, but also because the characterizations are so thoroughly riveting. <BR> Bruce Greenwood displays excellent range as he portrays both a care-free young family man as well as that character in middle age, besought with layer upon layer of tragedy and "baggage."<BR> Mia Kirshner similarly impresses as we see her character at various stages: as a troubled pre-teen, replete with pony tail and braces, and also as both a mature college graduate and, quite convincingly, as an exotic dancer.<BR> Elias Koteas is stunning as an anguished and lost club DJ/poet.<BR> Don McKellar and Arsinée Khanjian are also quite brilliant in supporting roles.<BR> Be prepared to want to immediately view the film a second time -- to do so is not merely repetition but serves as an opportunity to continue to fathom the depths of the characters and the film's unrelentingly passionate intrigue. Multi-layered, haunting piece of film mastery. While Canadian writer-director Atom Egoyan may be best known for his sweeping, 1997 adaptation of Russel Banks' novel The Sweet Hereafter (for which he was nominated for a best directing Oscar), Exotica vastly surpasses Hereafter in its deeply layered secrets and complexity. "You have to convince yourself that this person has something hidden, that you have to find yourself," states a character at the beginning of the film. Each of these characters--the DJ of Club Exotica (Elias Koteas), the pregnant owner of the club (Egoyan's wife Arsinee Khanjian), the mysterious, school girl dancer (Mia Kirshner), her most frequent customer (Bruce Greenwood), and the lonely owner of an exotic pet store (Don McKellar)--has something hidden, deep within the interactions between each other and the non-linear storytelling of Exotica, which multiple viewings enhance to even greater detail. After winning many Genie Awards (the Canadian equivelant of the American Oscar) including best director and picture, as well as being hailed as a "Miramax Classic" on the box, one would think that the DVD would be filled with lots of added bonuses, and at the very least: a theatrical trailer. Alas, the Exotica DVD boasts no special features, if you don't count the gorgeous widescreen transfer, much to my own dismay. Since many critics praised the film when it was released in 1994, especially Roger Ebert, there is hope that a new DVD will be created. The Criterion Collection includes numerous foreign, avant-garde, cultish films on DVD, most all of them boasting quite a few, excellent special features (especially the sadly-out-of-print Sid & Nancy DVD; but not for the feature-less Night Porter disc). One would hope, with the support of a few major critics and strong following, that Mirimax (or Criterion) would release a new version of this DVD, featuring all the added features, commentaries, bios that the film rightfully deserves. Buy Exotica at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on Exotica Search with the Priority Search Engine on Exotica This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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