Calendar (1993) *** [Atom Egoyan Double Feature Pt. 2]

Atom Egoyan’s Calendar (1993) makes a compelling companion piece with the director’s Exotica (review), released the following year. Both films present nonlinear stories with repetitive scenes of characters coping with loss by performing rituals that are more detrimental to their health than they perhaps realize. While Calendar is decidedly more breezy and comedic, and even has a bit of a “student film” feel at times, it makes interesting use of displacement (both in terms of time and diaspora), juxtaposition of sound, and different video formats.