75
Exotica is a worthy addition to an increasingly rich body of work by one of our most prolific and accomplished international filmmakers.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
70
The New York Times by Caryn James
Exotica may not be as perfectly formed as some of Mr. Egoyan's earlier work. Because Thomas's subplot is not as intriguing as the scenes in the club, the stories take too long to merge. But the flaws are minor. Mr. Egoyan continues to build an important, uncompromising career.
40
Washington Post by Desson Thomson
At its worst, which ends up being most of the time, the movie traps us in art-house pretentiousness, as we're obliged to follow the yearnings and abstract corruptions of the urban zestless.
70
Stylish, intelligent but rather soulless bit of moviemaking.
100
ReelViews by James Berardinelli
Egoyan has taken a seemingly-simple story and woven it into a near-masterpiece, creating images and an atmosphere that establish the perfect backdrop for a tale of loss, grief, and eroticism.
78
Austin Chronicle by Marjorie Baumgarten
Egoyan's greatest strength as a filmmaker may be his ability to create and sustain particular moods and atmospheres. In that sense, Exotica lives up to its name.
50
San Francisco Chronicle by Mick LaSalle
The picture gives the impression of a director in control of his vision, making precisely the film he intends to make. But the vision is a distinctly idiosyncratic one that will appeal only to certain tastes.
83
Entertainment Weekly by Owen Gleiberman
Like Christina’s dance, the movie is a gorgeous tease, an artful promise of something that never quite arrives.
80
Rolling Stone by Peter Travers
Egoyan is an acquired taste, but once in, you’re hooked. Exotica is Egoyan’s most accomplished and seductive film to date — even tackling acute psychic distress, Egoyan’s deadpan comic eye never flinches.
100
Chicago Sun-Times by Roger Ebert
Exotica is a movie labyrinth, winding seductively into the darkest secrets of a group of people who should have no connection with one another, but do.
A great thriller filled with intrigue, sensuality, and disturbing but beautiful imagery.