Exotica feat. Soraya Sebghati

Musician and film writer Soraya Sebghati joins from Los Angeles to venture into the lurid, strange world of...Toronto, ON, Canada and its mesmerizing underbelly of desire, longing, and grief in Atom Egoyan's 1994 breakout feature, 'Exotica'.We discuss Atom Egoyan as director - his keen sense for the uncanny amongst the mundane, and the ways 'Exotica' plays with artificiality, performance, and facade. Then, we discuss the film's musings on routine and the rippling effects of grief, and praise Egoyan's (relatively) non-judgemental curiosity with regard to the habits we all adopt as a means of coping with loss and alienation. Finally, we consider the film's much-mulled over ending and how it offers both a quietly devastating moment of catharsis and a hopeful message of emotional solidarity. Follow Soraya Sebghati on Twitter.Read and subscribe to Soraya's Substack.Listen to and support Night Talks on Bandcamp. Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.....Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.