Exotica is unremittingly grim compared to The Adjuster. It has a
tight complex story where the characters all have a relationship
to each other. As the film progresses, these relationships are
gradually revealed and they are complex, indeed. Also the central
source of the grief and sadness the characters feel is a gradual
revelation.
The central relationship is between Francis (Bruce Greenwood) and
Christina (Mia Kirchner). The film takes its title from a
nightclub with nude female dancers. (Toronto is one of the few
places on the planet where nude dancing is allowed). Christina is
a dancer and Francis is a frequent customer with eyes only for
her.
Christina's act is a Catholic school girl outfit. She dances very
seductively to a sad, cynical song the lyrics of which start:
"Everybody knows that the dice are loaded
Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed
Everybody knows the war is over
Everybody knows the good guy's lost.
Everybody knows the fight was fixed
The poor stay poor the rich get rich
That's how it goes
Everybody knows"
Trust me, this is not likely to be a song that is ever really
heard in a strip club.
Exotica also takes its title from rare birds. Thomas (Don
McKellar) is a pet shop owner with a $200,000 a year side
business in smuggling the eggs of rare birds into the country. He
is also a homosexual that is gradually coming out of the closet.
He meets Francis when Francis, a government tax man, shows up at
the pet shop to audit the books.
About half way through the film, the source of Francis' grief is
revealed. His real relationship with Christina is revealed at the
end of the film. It's kind of a shocker.
Fine performances
by Greenwood, Kirshner, McKellar, Elias Koteas and Sarah Polley.
