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 Movie
Reviews
with Evelyn Gough.
Lantana (M)
Directed by Ray Lawrence
 Hailed by critics as the film of the year, Lantana stars Rachel Blake (pictured), Anthony Lapaglia and Geoffrey Rush.
Connoisseur's of fine Australian film must be positively jumping with joy at the moment. Talk about being spoilt!
Three superb home-grown features have screened consecutively (including Mullet and The Bank). The latest is Lantana, a powerful drama about relationships interwoven with a mysterious thriller.
It marks the return to feature filmmaking by Ray Lawrence, whose last film was the controversial (but extremely entertaining) Bliss, based on the novel by Peter Carey. Now sixteen years later he's wowing audiences and winning more critical acclaim with Lantana picking up awards left, right and centre.
This involving, psychological drama has an outstanding cast. At its centre is Anthony LaPaglia as detective Leon Zat. Suffering a mid-life crisis, he's emotionally withdrawn from his wife Sonja (Kerry Armstrong) and dangerously volatile at work.
Suspecting her husband is having an affair and desperately unhappy, Sonja has begun seeing a psychiatrist (played by Barbara Hershey).
Meanwhile Valerie (Hershey) and her husband John (Geoffrey Rush) are experiencing their own marital problems due to a tragedy in their recent past.
And so it goes… each life touching another, each a strand in a web of tangled relationships and all coming brilliantly, thanks to award-winning screen writer Andrew Bovell who adapted the screen play from his stage play Speaking in Tongues.
And when the plot takes an ominous turn with the disappearance of a woman, more secrets are revealed.
Intense and thought-provoking, with wonderful acting from its stellar cast and a surprisingly gripping storyline, Lantana richly deserves the many accolades it has received.
Rating: 4 stars
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