Exotica

Drama

David Hemblen	Customs inspector
Mia Kirshner	Christina
Calvin Green	Customs officer
Elias Koteas	Eric
Bruce Greenwood	Francis Brown
Peter Krantz	Man in taxi
Don McKellar	Thomas Pinto
Arsinée Khanjian	Zoe
Sarah Polley	Tracey Brown
Victor Garber	Harold Brown
Ken McDougall	Doorman

Director	Atom Egoyan
Writer	Atom Egoyan

The action in Canadian provocateur Atom Egoyan 's cryptic Exotica revolves largely around the strip club, which lends the film its name, a faux-tropical hothouse where young female dancers cater to their customers' sexual and psychological needs. Among the regulars is Francis ( Bruce Greenwood ), a troubled taxman haunted by Christina, a young stripper played by Mia Kirshner . As the film hypnotically unfolds, their relationship is slowly explored, the narrative dovetailing with the stories of a gay pet shop owner ( Don McKellar ), the Exotica's pregnant owner ( Arsinee Khanjian ), and its embittered DJ ( Elias Koteas ). Like all of Egoyan 's films, Exotica is a riddle, its answers only fostering more questions. The director's recurring themes of family breakdowns, voyeurism and obsession are all in the mix here as well, but essayed with a new clarity of vision and intensity. -- Jason Ankeny