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LANTANA Send This Review to a Friend
One of the better films of the year 2001, the Australian "Lantana" is a thoroughly engrossing drama of personal relationships tinged with the mystery of a disappeared female psychiatrist. The acting is top level in all departments, and director Ray Lawrence works with sure hand in mounting a film tautly written by Andrew Bovell from an idea extracted from his play "Speaking in Tongues."
Apart from the intriguing plot, the characters and the acting give "Lantana" its primary strength. Anthony LaPaglia does what may be his best acting job to date as Leon, a detective going through a mid-life crisis. He is cheating on his wife Sonja, played with insight by the lovely Kerry Armstrong, in a dalliance with self-centered Jane, provocatively played by Rachel Blake, who is separated from her husband and ripe for adventure with hopes of permanence. But Leon is not about to make a commitment to another woman, as he still loves his wife even though their marriage is in a funk.
Barbara Hershey once again shows what a fine actress she is as Valerie, a successful psychiatrist, who is deeply upset when a gay patient talks of sleeping with a married man. The doctor and her husband John, played with enigmatic iciness by Geoffrey Rush, have been in a cold relationship in the aftermath of the murder of their young daughter, which Valerie has memorialized in a book. She either begins to suspect her husband of being the gay's mysterious lover or more vaguely is unsettled about the moral issue of infidelity this posses. She is also having sessions with the detective's unhappy wife. Valerie becomes increasingly distraught and when she disappears one night after her car breaks down on a lonely road, suspicion of foul play falls on her husband.
Leon is investigating the case, and when he rummages through the psychiatrist's office he seizes tapes, including one of his wife expressing pain and resentment about their marriage. Complications mount as Jane spots a clue to the disappearance, which points to a man next door. The subject of trust comes into play again, as the wife of the suspect has faith in her husband's innocence, and her hostility mounts toward Jane because of what she feels has been an intrusion into her life.
The drama explores the quality of relationships and the threads that tie them together, as well as actions or events that can tear them apart. Another interesting character is Leon's female detective partner who looks askance at Leon's infidelity and has her eye on a man who eats in the same restaurant she frequents.
There's added color, as one of the places frequented is a dance studio specializing in Latin music, which provides the opportunity for a sizzling, enjoyable score. The many-layered, well-photographed drama ends with the director pressing a bit too hard in wrapping up situations to let us know what has happened to a few of the characters. But otherwise, "Lantana" is richly entertaining. A Lions Gate Films release.
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