Exotica (1994)

Exotica, a strip club, is a faux-tropical hothouse where young female dancers cater to their customers' sexual and psychological needs. Among the regulars is Francis, a troubled taxman haunted by Christina, a young stripper. As the film hypnotically unfolds, their relationship is slowly explored, the narrative dovetailing with the stories of a gay pet shop owner, the Exotica's pregnant owner, and its embittered DJ. 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.