Phonearl
Good start, but then it gets ruined
ScoobyMint
Disappointment for a huge fan!
Cleveronix
A different way of telling a story
CrawlerChunky
In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.
George
I 'll begin with a quick summary spoiler free and then the details full of spoilers...Well well well Atom Egoyan has a reputation for making good films although I don't recall seeing any movie of his and I said to myself let's give it a try....Boy I was in for a surprise!! Well I consider this movie a comedy and pure cult. Now I would say that maybe the 90s were different times and that kind of atmosphere was usual in the movies but I don't think so. Really it seems to me just like a bad movie poorly directed at times and funny at others. It seemed like a non funny mediocre parody one would make of an art-house movie.SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERSMost of you fans of this movie upon reading the poorly directed line I wrote above would get mad and think what is he talking about? Did he watch a different movie? Well do you think the way the girl danced and the photography of that dance was well directed? It looked she had spasms for Christ's sake! And it didn't look erotic at all. It looked like a girl trying to act erotic but she looked absolutely ridiculous...And why why why she didn't show the customers her breasts? Or her ass? It was the worst effort of a striptease I ever seen in a movie. How was I supposed to get mesmerized by that if it looked ridiculous? Zoe was absolutely hilarious changing outfits and wearing these preposterous wigs all the time suddenly appearing on screen I got really confused and didn't know what was happening.. Near the end where Christina performs the last dance I couldn't help but laugh...Someone should show that girl how to dance. They all talked in this dull and monotonous way which was a lame and it made it kind of look like a cheap soap opera... The protagonist was really creepy in every way which made me confused of whether he's really troubled or just channeling his pain in his lust for under aged girls. It started strong like in a noir atmosphere for 5 minutes or so but it just shows one character the the other and the feeling is lost both because of the confusing flow of the plot and of the ridiculousness of the acting, the directing the photography well pretty much everything. At some point it felt like I watched episode of a series put together....Finally something that made an impression on me was the first scene in the valley that introduces us to the search of the protagonist's daughter. It manages to give an ominous feeling but it really looks out of place. I didn't gave it 2 or 3 stars only because he managed to create a nice atmosphere with nice colors etc...
Jugu Abraham
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?
itamarscomix
Exotica is my first Atom Egoyan film, and I'm now inclined to go out and go through his entire catalog. The title and DVD cover may make is seem like an erotic thriller at first, when in fact nothing could be further from the truth; Exotica is a beautiful, dark, low-key drama that seduces the viewer with sensuality and sexuality but maintains a chilly distance throughout.Exotica takes place in a strip club but isn't at any time titillating. It keeps the viewer out both sexually and emotionally - it's a character study piece that doesn't allow us to get into the head of any of the characters, one that doesn't have a real protagonist. Every character is a stranger to us and they all keep secrets from us and from each other, secrets that unravel as the film unfolds in a deliberately slow and strictly structured pace.I'm glad that I went into Exotica knowing next to nothing about it, and so should you. Quit reading reviews and just watch it.
newkfl
I would have to admit that Exotica turned out to be a better film than I had imagined. It was slow in parts, but I guess it was to counter some of the scenes in the movie. There were some very disturbing characters in the movie too that really did not have problems so to speak, but certainly could have used some help from a trained sexual therapist. I would have certainly kept my distance from the character with the very hairy chest. I do not even think that he knew what he was going to do next. There was some good bar scene shots and dialog, but all in all, I think that the ending was a little bit rushed. It made me think of several ways that the movie could have been changed to fit the ending. Do not blink!!!