Lantana (2001)

The relationships of four couples unravel after the discovery of a young woman's body in Lantana bush in suburban Sydney.

Director:

Ray Lawrence

Writers:

Andrew Bovell (play), Andrew Bovell (screenplay)

Stars:

Anthony LaPaglia, Geoffrey Rush, Rachael Blake

36 wins & 22 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anthony LaPaglia	...	Leon
Rachael Blake	...	Jane
Kerry Armstrong	...	Sonja
Manu Bennett	...	Steve (as Jon Bennett)
Melissa Martinez	...	Lisa
Owen McKenna	...	Old Man in Pyjamas
Nicholas Cooper	...	Sam
Marc Dwyer	...	Dylan
Puven Pather	...	Drug Dealer
Lionel Tozer	...	Police Officer
Glenn Suter	...	Police Officer
Leah Purcell	...	Claudia
Barbara Hershey	...	Valerie
Natasha Guthrie	...	Young Girl
James Cullington	...	Man at Book Launch

Storyline

Trust. A dead body in bracken. A cop cheats on his unhappy wife who, in secret, sees a psychiatrist whose own marriage is corroded by grief: she thinks her husband is having an affair with a gay patient of hers. The cop's lover, Jane, is recently separated, and her neighbors - a couple with children - include a muscular unemployed man. Late one night, the doctor skids off a back road, finds a call box, and tries in vain to reach her husband. She sees headlights and flags down the driver. Later that night, Jane sees her neighbor park his truck and throw something into the lantana in a vacant lot. It's a woman's shoe. Unraveling the mystery lays bare five couples.

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Plot Keywords:

adulterous wife | lust | scantily clad female | rear entry sex | nylons | 

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Taglines:

It's tangled

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Lions Gate Films [United States]

Country:

Australia Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 March 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Лантана

Filming Locations:

Balmain, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

AUD 430,696 (Australia), 6 October 2001

Opening Weekend USA:

$66,701, 16 December 2001, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$4,460,426, 21 April 2002

Company Credits

Production Co:

MBP (Germany), Jan Chapman Productions, Australian Film Finance Corporation (AFFC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

121 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Lantana is based on Bovell's own stage play called "Speaking in Tongues".

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Goofs

When Sonja and Leon are in bed, the crew is reflected in a large standing mirror.

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Quotes

Leon Zat: [the morning after Leon admitted having an affair] I fucked up, all right? People fuck up.
Sonja Zat: Really? Well, I don't. You know what's so easy, Leon? It's so easy to go out and find somebody. You know what's hard? What's hard is not to.

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Crazy Credits

Grateful acknowledgement of assistance to all our families

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Connections

Referenced in On Location with 'The Irishman' (2006)

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Soundtracks

Permiso Que Llego Van Van
(1999)
Written by Juan Formell
Caliente Music Inc. / Caliente Music Works LLC
Performed by Los Van Van
Courtesy of Caliente Music Inc. / Havana Caliente LLC

User Reviews

An insightful Australian film with adult sensibilities for a change.

This well-delivered ensemble piece is a film version of Andrew Bovell's play SPEAKING IN TONGUES. It deals with adult relationships, particularly the sexual tension and anxiety that eventually develops in mature relationships. The plot and interaction between characters depends heavily on coincidence, but this isn't a major flaw in a film that really concerns itself with adult behavior patterns. That aspect of the film is sophisticated and honest; well worth the viewer's time. Brooding, subtle and smart are the words for LANTANA and I highly recommend it.