Exotica (Atom Egoyan, 1994)

The intertwined stories of a cast of characters at an exotic men's club called Exotica in Toronto are presented. The club itself is owned by Zoe, who inherited the business from her mother. Zoe hired Eric to be the club's main DJ and announcer, the two who entered into another mixed business/personal arrangement. Christina is one of the club's dancers/strippers, her on-stage persona being the naughty Catholic schoolgirl. She got the job at the club through Eric, the two who used to date. Francis, one of the club's regulars, always has Christina dance at his table for him, those dances which Eric continually tells the club's patrons over the loudspeaker are only $5 a dance. Francis and Christina's relationship seems to be more than just a business one, something that Eric notices. While Francis is at the club once every couple of nights, he has made an arrangement with his teenaged niece Tracey - the daughter of his wheelchair-bound brother, Harold - who he drives to/from his house for her to practice her music on his grand piano. Their arrangement is an unofficial business one which bothers Tracey. When an incident happens at the club which involves Francis, he asks Thomas, a gay pet shop owner he met through work, to do him a favor in helping him resolve the incident at the club to his satisfaction. What happens with this collective of people, as their underlying stories and connections are revealed, is set against the backdrop of a missing person's case with a tragic ending.