Released 1994
Stars Bruce Greenwood, Elias Koteas, Don McKellar, Mia Kirshner, Arsinée Khanjian
Directed by Atom Egoyan

It's difficult to explain the full range of emotional impact caused by "Exotica", which is as beguiling as it is baffling. Not until the final scene does everything finally snap into focus, and when it does, the revelations have all the sudden, stark clarity of a vast nightscape illuminated by a flash of lightning. Past scenes come rushing back with new meaning. Whole perspectives change. Egoyan has taken a seemingly-simple story and woven it into a near-masterpiece, creating images and an atmosphere that establish the perfect backdrop for a tale of loss, grief, and eroticism.

The Exotica is a strip club in Toronto, where men go to watch, but not touch, a variety of unclothed women who strut their stuff to the pulsing sounds of a rich and varied soundtrack. One of the club's regulars is Francis (Bruce Greenwood), a lonely government auditor who spends hours paying out money for Christina to dance privately for him. The bond between these two is more profound than that of a normal dancer and client. When Francis utters his refrain of "How could anyone hurt you?" to Christina, we're not aware of all the layers inherent in his words. Only in retrospect do we ultimately understand.

Summary by James Berardinelli