EXOTICA

Francis: Bruce Greenwood Eric: Elias Koteas Christina: Mia Kirshner Thomas: Don McKellar Zoe: Arsinee Khanjian Written and Directed by Atom Egoyan. Running time: 103 minutes. Rated R (for some sexuality, nudity and language).

Exotica is seductive, dark, spellbinding and an enigma. Like a striptease, Exotica slowly reveals a piece of its story. Layer by layer it entices us with each scene and makes us want to see more. It starts with a group of characters, who seemingly have no possible connection to each other. By the end of the film, it all makes sense, as the characters are so intertwined with each other that their lives would change if one ceases to exist.

In the beginning we meet the whole cast. We see a man at the airport going through a routine search at customs. His name is Thomas (Don McKellar) and he owns a regular pet shop. One of the custom officers at the airport notices him and becomes intrigued. How intrigued? Later in the film, the two meet and get together. Why? We have to wait for that answer later, as the film goes to another scene. We then move on, where we visit a "gentleman's club." We walk around the club and then see Christina (Mia Kirshner) giving a lap dance for one of her regular customers. His name is Francis (Bruce Greenwood), a handsome man in his late-thirties. As in all clubs, no touching is allowed, but Francis seems too interested in Christina's performance. What he needs from her is neither physical nor sexual, but something else. He talks to her, but it isn't the conversation we expect at that moment. We sense there is some private bond between them. What is it? We are not sure what Christina needs from this man.

Meanwhile, all of this activity is watched closely by Eric (Elias Koteas), who is the disc jockey of the club. His job consists of enticing the customers with suggestive fantasies about the dancers and drumming up business for the tables. Obviously there is a relationship between the two, as we find out that he was once Christina's lover. We don't know why they broke up, but we see that Eric still has the same feelings for Christina. Now he watches jealously, as she spends hours with Francis dancing for him. Does he know the bond that Christina and Francis have together? Eric doesn't care, as he plans how to break the two up and renew his relationship with Christina.

Then there is Zoe, who is played by Egoyan's wife, Arsinee Khanjian. Zoe owns the club that was passed down to her by her late mother. Zoe loved her mother's compassion and dedication for the club, that she has tried to continue the torch. She has even dressed in her mother's clothes, in the hope to remind the customers how the club has not changed its traditions. Her effort goes unnoticed, as the patrons do not care who owns the establishment and how it is run. Zoe is sweet and honest, but we sense she is lonely. She seems to be ignored by everyone regardless of her position in the club. Zoe is pregnant at the moment, though we do not know who the father is or where he is.

As the film progresses, we find ourselves asking many questions. Who are these characters? What is Thomas hiding from everyone? Why does Francis hire a baby-sitter to stay at his house when he has no children? How do they all relate to each other? Should we care about these characters when they seem not to care for themselves?

Actually, yes we should. The strong point of this film is how fascinating the characters are. We don't really care for them, yet you want to know why they act the way they do. From that mystery, Atom Egoyan can guide you anyway he wants. He does an excellent job on developing how each character relates to the other, using flashbacks while still pushing forward in the present. Scenes that we saw for a minute begin to expand and make more sense as we go along. In the end, we see the characters for who they really are. We not only understand their pain and turmoil, but we also understand where they are coming from when they talk.

While everyone in the film is great, Mia Kirshner's performance drives the film. We can't keep our eyes off of her, as she tries to balance the obsession that two people have for her. Her attempt is useless, as she knows what both of them represent in her life.

What is intriguing about this film is how Egoyan sets the story in a sexual atmosphere, yet we never feel the story is about sex. Remember, the film is about the characters not the environment they are in. Exotica is quite a change from the other Hollywood movies that use strip clubs as their setting. I'm sure you remember Showgirls, don't you? Or are you trying to block it out like me.

Exotica reminds me of films like White and Pulp Fiction, where the director decides to experiment with the film's structure. Instead of telling the story in a linear fashion, from beginning to end, they wander around showing us bits and pieces of events. The film becomes a jigsaw puzzle, as we try to piece each scene together. The jumbled scenes may be confusing, as the film requires you to watch it at least twice. While the end of Pulp Fiction is really the middle, the end of Exotica is really the beginning.

Atom Egoyan, who is a Canadian director, will get noticed in the Hollywood community with this film. He simply takes a bunch of normal people and makes them fresh and exciting. These characters are people that you would pass by in the street and you would think to yourself what their life is like? Exotica answers: Much more than you think. Grade: A-

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