Thomas (Don McKellar) smuggles rare bird eggs for his pet store and he starts going to the ballet after given a ticket. Exotica is a strip club in Toronto with a lush tropical theme. Christina (Mia Kirshner) is a stripper there, Eric (Elias Koteas) is the DJ, and a pregnant Zoe (Arsinée Khanjian) is the owner. Francis (Bruce Greenwood) is a customer and a tax auditor. Eric and Christina used to be sweethearts. Harold (Victor Garber) is Francis' friend and Tracey (Sarah Polley) is his daughter. The stories interconnect as the movie weave them back and forth in time.
Writer/director Atom Egoyan has definitely made something unique. The strip club is oddly unlike any others. It sets the tone for the movie. Nothing is so simple. The movie holds its secrets as it peels the story of these characters slowly. The characters are fascinating. Each one is emotionally detached and damaged. The movie is hypnotic as the audience work out the connections between the stories. It's a real slow strip tease.
Writer/director Atom Egoyan has definitely made something unique. The strip club is oddly unlike any others. It sets the tone for the movie. Nothing is so simple. The movie holds its secrets as it peels the story of these characters slowly. The characters are fascinating. Each one is emotionally detached and damaged. The movie is hypnotic as the audience work out the connections between the stories. It's a real slow strip tease.