Review of Exotica (1994) by Alvin Y — 18 Mar 2012

Exotica, Great Movies.

With a title called *Exotica*, I'm sure it's an adult film or Playboy Magazine special. Well, it's all that jazz! This is a rich, textured, beautiful but sad and painful film to watch. From the moment the film opens, characters start to sink us into their dark inside. I just simply left wanting more or wanting to see it again as it ends. It has a lot to say to us and to the characters as well. Don't also expect madness nudity here, because it ain't really worth it. People like Francis, Eric, and Tomas are not into obsessed with sex or pride, they want to redeem or heal theirselves for what may have happened to them earlier in the film. Francis thinks going into the club can make him happy again, he has a wife and daughter but are killed in an accident, would he accept grievance to this? He also babysits his niece, Tracy, does he then want to rape her? Not that I know. Also, he stays a few hours in the office of Tomas to work with something. Now, Tomas is this kind of a criminal person but he doesn't look like a criminal to me, he's rather a lonely and pitiful person who makes living by smuggling animals and paying a ticket to some stranger. And who's Eric then? He's the DJ and also the ex-boyfriend of this Cristina, but he still feels in love with her, and feels jealous seeing her with another guy on the club dancing with that guy, who is then, Francis.

I know that is a very complicated plot connection, but when you watch it, you will forget the plot, but not the connection of the characters together, interesting! Also, this Cristina character isn't typically that person that you want to have sex, she's more than a person who does her job but feels despair on her situation in and out of the bar. There is also a connection between Francis and Tracy's dad, Tomas and Cristina, and Francis and the club's manager, which truly revives the film's sadness to hope. I'm aware that the director is not interested in a typical standard entertainment movie, he's rather than interested in revoking the story to make the film vivid to the spirit of the people involved. And I've never seen any film ever at all set in a club with some tensions going on and also depending to some of the uninteresting stuff, like...

Once again, Exotica is a special film, and an exotic masterpiece not in storytelling, but in making the characters look cynical to each other. I really love to see more films like this one, truly no love story, truly no sex, and mostly, no one killed at the end. They all want to make peace and respect but would they make it? If all of this doesn't make sense, then see for yourself, it's simple, but truly you will never go to any club ever again after seeing this!