Egoyan: Exotica (1994)
Uno spacciatore di uccelli esotici, Thomas, passa il controllo della dogana,
ma e` sorvegliato
dagli agenti. Il suo compagno di taxi gli regala due biglietti per il balletto.
Zoe, una donna incinta, gestisce il club Exotica, nel quale lavorano la giovane
seducente Christine e il dj Eric. Il club e` un lussuoso e raffinato strip bar.
Eric annuncia lo show di Christina, che si presenta vestita da scolaretta.
Thomas si reca al balletto e scopre che ogni sera diverse persone aspettano
di poter comprare un biglietto da qualcuno che se ne vuole liberare. Offre
il suo a un giovane aitante e vanno insieme al balletto.
Francis, un avventore, confabula con Christine come se si conoscessero da
lungo tempo. Un flashback fa vedere il dj e Christine quando erano piu`
giovani e camminavano nei campi con altri ragazzi alla ricerca di una bambina
scomparsa.
Francis accompagna poi a casa la sua babysitter Tracie (anche se non ci sono
bambini a casa sua), che paga e congeda sotto la casa del padre, un suo
vecchio amico.
Zoe e` mortificata che il dj debba annunciare lo show di Christine, e Eric
lo fa sempre in maniera tesa: Christine e` infatti diventata l'amante di Zoe,
e un tempo era stata la ragazza di Eric. Christine e` fredda e distaccata,
come se avesse perso le sue emozioni. Ogni sera Francis va a vederla e lei
si spoglia al suo tavolo. Lui e` preoccupato per lei. Ogni sera assume la
babysitter, affinche' gli guardi la casa mentre lui e` al club, e Tracie
passa quelle ore esercitandosi agli strumenti.
Thomas gestisce un negozio di pets. Francis viene mandato a "audit" il suo
negozio. Adesso Thomas va frequentemente al balletto: compra due biglietti,
poi ne regala uno a qualche ragazzo che e` senza.
Christine ha scoperto il contratto fra Zoe e Eric nel quale Eric si impegna
a mettere incinta Zoe.
Thomas porta uno sconosciuto a casa.
Eric, geloso di Francis, lo convince a toccare Christine. Quando Francis
lo fa, Eric lo scaraventa fuori dal locale per aver violato una delle regole
sacre.
Thomas e lo sconosciuto fanno l'amore. La mattina dopo le uova in cui Thomas
ha nascosto la droga sono scomparse.
Tracey non vuole piu` fare da babysitter per Francis: e` spaventata dalla
sua insistenza a comportarsi come se avesse ancora una figlia.
Francis ha scoperto che Thomas e` uno spacciatore di droga e gli propone un
compromesso: se Thomas lo aiuta con Christine, nel rapporto non ci sara`
menzione del money laundering. Thomas si reca al club e interroga Christine,
mentre Francis ascolta tutto grazie a un microfono nascosto. Christine rivela
a Thomas che la figlia di Francis venne uccisa. Eric nota che Christine si
commuove parlando con Thomas e diventa di nuovo geloso. Anche questa volta
convince Thomas a toccarla. Francis si precipita da Zoe ma questa e`
imperterrita nel proibirgli l'ingresso. Christine e Eric hanno un alterco di
fronte a Zoe. Eric viene licenziato.
Francis lo obbliga ad aiutarlo a uccidere Eric, gli spiega
che sua figlia venne uccisa e lui venne sospettato dell'omicidio in quanto
la moglie aveva una relazione con suo fratello: nel giro di pochi secondi
perse moglie e figlia. Quando Francis si trova di fronte Eric, questi gli
rivela di essere lui il giovane che scopri` il cadavere della bambina.
Si abbracciano piangendo.
Intanto Thomas tocca Christine, ma nessuno interviene.
Flashbackj. Thomas e` a casa con la figlia. Accompagna la babysitter a
casa: si tratta di Christine, bruttina e triste.
Evidentemente lo shock dell'omicidio aveva destabilizzato quella piccola
comunita`.
Egoyan: The Sweet Hereafter (1997), from the
Russell Banks novel,
Il racconto di come un avvocato tenta di convincere le vittime a fare causa e`
intercalato a flashback del giorno in cui accadde l'incidente di schoolbus.
La prima scena mostra una famiglia di tre persone romanticamente addormentate
insieme, la bambina accovacciata contro la madre.
L'uomo, Mitchell, e` adesso un anziano avvocato, sta parlando con la figlia Zoe
al cellulare
da un autolavaggio. La figlia e` una drogata che e` scomparsa da dieci anni
e gli telefona soltanto per chiedere soldi. Lui, freddamente rassegnato, la
ascolta, ma senza piu` credere alle sue storie.
Flashback: una ragazza del villaggio, Nicole, che canta le sue canzoni su un
palcoscenico fra le giostre, e il padre che la ascolta estatico. Nicole e`
un'altra delle voci che racconta la storia. I due sembrano piu` amanti che
padre e figlia.
L'avvocato inizia il suo pellegrinaggio fra le famiglie delle vittime, e fra
il loro insaziabile dolore: i Walker, Risa e marito, i genitori adottivi di
Bear l'indiano. Ogni volta l'incontro e` preceduto da un flashback in cui si
vedono i genitori accompagnare i figli alla fermata del bus oppure i bambini
sull'autobus, l'esperta autista Dolores e la ragazza Nicole davanti. Il
vedovo Billy vive soltanto per i suoi due bambini e ogni mattina raggiunge
l'autobus e lo segue per un po' salutandoli.
Intanto l'avvocato sta volando su un aereo e la sua compagna di fila si scopre
essere una ex compagna di scuola di Zoe. A lei Mitchell rivela la lunga
trafila di cliniche e riabilitazioni che sono state del tutto inutili.
Billy aveva una relazione con una donna sposata, Risa, madre di un bambino
handicappato anch'egli perito nell'incidente.
Nicole, che faceva anche da babysitter per Billy, aveva una relazione
segreta con il padre.
Non tutto era pertanto angelico nel villaggio.
L'autista Dolores e` sposata a un paralitico.
L'avvocato tenta di convincere i genitori dei bambini che qualuno e`
responsabile della tragedia e deve pagare. Rimane ambiguo se lo fa soltanto
per i soldi o perche' vuole vendicare la tragedia di sua figlia o perche'
e` sinceramente convinto della causa che combatte.
Davanti a loro, comunque, si erge a giustiziere.
Finalmente il flashback raggiunge il momento dell'incidente. Billy vede
l'autobus slittare, travolgere il guardrail e precipitare nel lago e poi
il ghiaccio fendersi e l'autobus sprofondare. Poi c'e` soltanto da riconoscere
i cadaveri. Per Billy la vita e` finita.
L'avvocato racconta alla sua compagna di aereo quando Zoe venne infetta da
ragni e lui la porto` all'ospedale appena in tempo.
Billy e` l'unico a rifiutare i servizi dell'avvocato e a minacciarlo. Sembra
persino aver paura dell'inchiesta (era lui a manutenere l'autobus).
Nicole, che si e` salvata ma e` ridotta a una sedia a rotelle, viene
incoraggiata dai genitori a collaborare, perche' hanno bisogno di soldi per
curarla. Billy tenta invano di dissuaderli.
Zoe telefona che e` HIV-positiva e chiede di nuovo soldi. Il padre questa
volta si commuove e promette aiuto. Sono passati due anni dall'incidente.
Il giorno della deposizione Nicole asserisce che l'autista stava andando
troppo veloce: la colpa e` dell'autista. Il padre sa che lei ha mentito (forse
per metter fine ai litigi e alle tensioni), ma l'inchiesta e` chiusa.
L'avvocato arriva all'aeroporto e intravede Dolores, che adesso lavora come
autista di uno shuttle d'albergo. L'avvocato sta andando a trovare Zoe.
Nicole medita poeticamente, ma non si capisce se ha mentito o meno.
Forse troppo frammentato per colpire davvero.
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Ararat (2002) is a
historical epic about the Ottoman genocide of Armenians of 1915-18.
The narrative is, as usual, intricate and intriguing, but some complications
feel unnecessary (for example, the fact that the main characters of the plot
are related to the customs official via a museum clerk who is the lover of
an actor in the film that the film is about).
A man with a French accent has just arrived at an airport, apparently thinking of a distant mountain.
As he goes through customs, he is told that he cannot bring fruit into the
country. He then eats a pomegranate on the spot, rather than throwing it away.
Teeagers Raffi and Celia are step-siblings and lovers.
Celia is convinced that Raffi's mother, Ani, is responsible for her father's
death, and asks Raffi for Ani's book, which he gives to her against Ani's will.
The old custom official, David, has problems with his son, a homosexual but nonetheless
a father of a child, who is afraid of his father's influence on his child.
The son is not happy with the way the old man expresses his contempt.
David is close to retirement but still strict in his job.
At the airport he stops Raffi, who is bringing in a roll of film shot in Turkey,
suspecting that it may be used to smuggle drugs.
The film flashes back to 1934, to the studio of an Armenian painter, Arshile.
Then after a few seconds the film jumps directly to Turkey, among the
shepherds of the mountains, when two people are being immortalized in a photo.
It turns out this picture is part of a presentation by Ani, who happens to
be an expert on the painter. Among the audience are Raffi and Celia, and Celia
keeps interrupting the presentation with malicious questions. Eventually Celia
accuses Ani in front of everybody of confusing the painter with her first
husband (and Raffi's father), who was killed by the police for trying to
assassinate a Turkish diplomat (Celia calls him a "terrorist").
Among the audience is also the French man of the first scene, who asks Celia to
shut up. It turns out he is a filmmaker, Edward, and the son of a survivor of
the Armenian genocide, who is intrigued by the painter of Ani's presentation
because the painter Arshile was there, in Turkey, during the genocide as a child.
The filmmaker and his scriptwriter hires her as an advisor to the film.
Back home, Celia and Raffi are making love and exchanging melancholy about
their respective father's deaths: Raffi's father was a "terrorist" (but Raffi
claims he was a "freedom fighter"), while Celia's father committed suicide,
or at least so Ani claims.
The filmmaker, Edward, has dreamed all his life of making a film that would be
a tribute to his mother's story, and her mother was obsessed with Mt Ararat
(the mountain of the first scene).
The painter's journal is going to be the starting point.
The set of the film is basically a reconstruction of the memories of
Edward's mother. The film will tell the story of a child (the painter)
who was sent out by an American doctor to tell the world what was about
to happen to the Armenians, surrounded by the Ottoman army.
Ani is disturbed by the many distortions of the facts, but fascinated by
the idea of working with a famous filmmaker.
David's homosexual son works as an attendant in a museum.
His partner, a half Turkish actor, comes to tell him that he has just been given a part in a film (Edward's film), an exciting news.
Back to the airport, David interrogates Raffi about the film that he wants
to bring into the country. Raffi claims that he went to Turkey to shoot a few
additional scenes. David is dubious because it shows that the film was already
shot before he left. Raffi tells him about the politically sensitive nature
of the film. David asks what the film is about.
Egoyan moves from one plane to another: an apparent flashback shows the boy
captured by the evil Turkish general (the half-Turkish homosexual actor),
but, as the camera rotates, we see the director and
the rest of the crew, i.e. that this is the set of the film, and then
suddenly Raffi picks up the tale in the customs office where he is explaining
the film to David. This is actually Raffi telling David how months earlier
they made a film about a genocide that took place decades earlier.
Somehow the flashback of Raffi during the making of the film overextends itself
as it becomes a side story of him trying to convince the skpetical
half-Turkish actor that the genocide really happened.
Back to the customs incident, David asks Raffi to show him some of the
scenes that he shot in Turkey. They are very personal, but David seems very
interested nonetheless. David has already found out that Raffi is the son
of a terrorist.
At the museum Celia interrupts another Ani lecture with questions about
suicide: the Armenian painter eventually committed suicide, just like her
own father. Celia accuses Ani of having driven her father to suicide,
but Ani simply does not know how the man died: he just fell.
Celia grabs a knife and tries to destroy a work of art by the Armenian
painter. Ani is shocked because that painting to her is a message from
the past about the tragedy that took place.
The painting by the Armenian painter was a painting of a photograph that
his mother gave him: he painted it after the photograph was taken by the
Turks. But he erased his mother's hands from the painting.
Now the scene moves again to the customs office, where Raffi is relating
this incident between Celia and Ani to David. David's curiosity is well
founded: it turns out that Celia had been busted before for dealing drugs.
Raffi is the son of a terrorist and the half-brother of a drug dealer.
Raffi resumes the story of the film to David, a scene that we see interpolated
with scenes of the film that is being made (which now are only scenes of
atrocities).
All the time Raffi has insisted that he went to Turkey to shoot some scenes
that are necessary to complete the film. But Raffi cannot provide any evidence
that this is the case. Eventually he calls his mother, Ani. David asks her
questions about her book and her involvement with the film. Her mother would
like to help her son, but it then becomes obvious (hysterical crowds) that
she is at the premiere of the film. Which means that the film has been
finished, which means that Raffi has lied to David. Raffi went to Turkey on
a personal mission, not for the film.
David now has to open the cans to make sure they contain film and not drugs.
In a completely dark room he absolves Raffi and lets him go. But it turns
out that the cans contained heroin: Raffi had been duped by someone to carry
heroin. David believes that Raffi did it involuntarily and leaves him the
illusion that he was carrying film.
Chloe is a psychological erotic thriller of sorts.
Chloe is a cynical prostitute who is looking for her chance in life.
Catherine is a gynecologist, married to handsome and popular professor
David. An attractive student is flirting with him.
It is David's birthday and Catherine has organized a surprise cocktail
party. David calls that he has missed the plane. The following day she
finds a photo of him and the attractive student taken the night before:
he was out partying with her while Catherine had organized the surprise.
David never has time for her: she feels old, invisible and ugly.
Her teenage son Michael is another disappointment: he shows no respect for
his mother. Catherine accidentally meets Chloe and offers her money to
test her husband. Chloe meets David and provokes him. Chloe reports back
that the seduction was successful: David does cheat on Catherine. Catherine
is humiliateda. Chloe falls from the bicycle and gets slightly injured.
Catherine takes care of her and Chloe tells her more of her husband's erotic
advances. Catherine is almost having an organism listening to the description
of her husband making love to Chloe, like she is having sex with him
vicariously through Chloe. Chloe tries to kiss Catherine.
Chloe comes from the gutters, while Catherine belongs to the society of cocktail
parties and classical music (her son is studying classical piano).
Catherne capitulates and becomes Chloe's passionate lover.
David confronts her after Catherine spends the night out, but it's Catherine
who accuses him of cheating. David swears he is not.
Catherine decides to stop her affair with Chloe and pays her off. Chloe is
devastated to be treated like a prostitute: she is truly in love with
Catherine. Catherine decides to confront her husband and invites both Chloe
and David at the same cafe. When they show up, it is obvious that David does
not know Chloe at all: Chloe has made up the entire story of her affair with
David. Catherine, devastated, tells David everything that happened. Realizing
that all happened because she loved it and didn't feel loved back, David
forgives her.
Meanwhile, Chloe takes her revenge by seducing Michael. Catherine finds them
naked in her own bed. Catherine is furious. Chloe almost kills her, then
forces her to a kiss, while Michael watches them without hearing their words.
Then Chloe jumps out of the window to her death.
At the next elegant cocktail party Catherine, David and Michael are all smiling.
Indirectly, Chloe has healed them and reconciled them.
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