Lantana
Screening: 8th March 2004
Germany/Australia 2001
Directed by Ray Lawrence
Leading players ~ Anthony LaPaglia, Geoffrey Rush, Barbara Hershey.
Synopsis
Intriguingly, in the first scene a woman’s body lies undisturbed in a wood. Australian Police Detective Leon Zat (LaPaglia) is bored and frustrated by every aspect of his life. His wife, Sonja, is feeling little better and is seeing a therapist, Dr Valerie Somers (Hershey). Her marriage to a law professor (Rush) is also fragile following the death of their 11-year-old daughter. Nobody is coping well.* * * * * *
Dark themes and bitter humour are staples of what is predominantly a thriller but also a masterful look at the nature of love and tangled relationships. Highly intelligent performances abound and at the centre Anthony LaPaglia is compelling as the really not at all likeable Detective Zat.Lantana is a carefully crafted film with characters we believe in and the way these characters develop totally involves us in their lives.
