Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 1, 1995 TAG: 9504030032
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: B7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Instead, the film is a meditation on loss and loneliness, with Leonard Cohen's haunted "Everybody Knows" as its musical theme. It's also a mystery where motivations and intentions are not at all what they first appear to be.
The curious plot revolves around Christina (Mia Kirshner), a dancer at Exotica, a relatively classy Toronto strip club. Her most devoted customer is Francis (Bruce Greenwood). He's a tax auditor whose single-minded obsession doesn't seem to bother Christina as much as it ought to. Eric (Elias Koteas), the club's DJ, is more upset and, in his own way, equally obsessed. Exotica's very pregnant owner, Zoe (Arsinee Khanjian), is starting to worry about him.
While Francis spends his nights at the club, during the day he goes over the books at a pet store owned by Thomas (Don McKellar). Thomas is a gay man who has reasons to be worried about a tax audit.
Those five characters, and a few more, work their way through a talky story that mixes past and present. The conflicts among them are not neatly defined, and that's what writer/director Atom Egoyan means to do. He's an offbeat filmmaker whose earlier work, notably "The Adjuster," has developed a following on video.
In this one, he does not make the club as exotic as it might have been, and the understated conclusion leaves viewers confused in some areas. He also goes a bit overboard on symbolism, with parrots figuring significantly.
At the same time, the performances are restrained and enigmatic, and the characters are compelling. You want to learn what these people are up to and what has happened to them. So, despite the flaws, "Exotica" is interesting - and surprising - all the way through.
Recommended for those with a taste for something a little out of the ordinary.
Exotica ***
A Miramax release playing at The Grandin Theatre. 100 min. Rated R for nudity, subject matter, strong language.
by CNB