Exotica was the first Atom Egoyan film to receive wide release and achieve relative commercial success. Although several of his more obscure films are just now being released on DVD, Exotica has been available for some time, along with his most successful film to date, The Sweet Hereafter and his most recent, Felicia’s Journey. Although this DVD release of Exotica lacks the extras of the other two more recent films (most notably Egoyan’s excellent commentary tracks), there is still much to admire about this release.

Many of the cast members are the same excellent performers seen in other Egoyan films, such as Arsinée Khanjian, Elias Koteas, Bruce Greenwood, Don McKellar, and Sarah Polley, so the performances are up to their usual high standards. The young Polley and Mia Kirshner may be a bit unpolished in their roles, but there are often flashes of brilliance visible in their performances. Koteas and Greenwood also give intense performances as seemingly very different men who are actually more alike then they realize. The most enigmatic character, though, is McKellar who plays an exotic bird smuggler with a decidedly unusual way of meeting men at the opera. Strangely, McKellar’s character seems the most "normal" of any in the film and is genuinely bewildered and overwhelmed by the events transpiring around him.

Greenwood plays an investigator for Revenue Canada (the Canadian equivalent of the IRS) who spends much of his free time at a strip club called the Exotica. It is there that he obsesses over one of the dancers (Kirshner) who often performs private dances for him while dressed in a schoolgirl’s uniform. I cannot say much more than this without giving away too much of the plot, except to say that they previously knew each other, and that they both obtain something from this strange relationship. Kirshner’s dancing is often awkward and uncomfortable to watch, which makes her character seem as though she does not belong at the Exotica. Khanjian plays the owner of the club, Koteas is the DJ, and Sarah Polley is Greenwood’s babysitter, but none of these relationships are as they first appear. The story unfolds in a non-linear fashion, much like The Sweet Hereafter, with multiple flashbacks revealing the history of the characters and offering brief glimpses into the true nature of their relationships.

Both the picture and sound quality of this DVD are satisfactory considering the film’s age and its origin as an independent release. Even though it is recorded in only matrixed surround, the soundtrack is still quite good, with an atmospheric stereo score by Mychael Danna that is wide and expansive. The surrounds are used sparingly, but effectively to provide an eerily immersive experience. The picture is a bit soft and dark, so dimly lit scenes such as those inside the Exotica lose some detail, but this suits the somber and melancholy mood of the film. As far as extras go, this disc has none and is comprised of only the film itself.