Exotica

The narrative is complex, and slowly brings out a wonderfully nuanced familiarity with the characters. All the same, it doesn't convey a sense of great import, as if the potential to carry significant weight was actively suppressed. But what I really fell for is the beautifully realised atmosphere. It's like a world that was lost in the moment of it's creation. Both exotic and local, contemporary and mythic: the 'baby grand' might relate a plausible metaphor of the film itself.

1994: the year of overlapping narrative structures. More than most films, Exotica does a great job of keeping you on your toes, slowly teasing out information that provides greater depth and contextualization to its characters and their histories. Everybody in this film is deeply empathetic, regardless of how broken. Despite their torments, the title isn't ironic; this movie is oozing atmosphere. I thought things wrapped up a bit neatly at the end, but damn if it wasn't a compelling ride.

Great atmosphere and seducement all along. And a catchy phrase: Nobody asked you if you wanted to be brought into this world. You just ended up getting here. So the question is, now that you are here, who is asking you to stay?

surprised to find i love it more than ever. the structure should be too calculated, the use of 'everybody knows' should be too cute, characters like the egg-smuggling pet shop owner are like something out of a goofy made-for-TV procedural... so why is it so good? partly because exactly the right amount of information is provided, but mostly it's that the pain is so palpable even the dances throb with it. the scene behind the club gets me by the intestines.

I have to say, rarely does a song encapsulate a movie as well as Everybody Knows encapsulates Exotica.