CrimeDramaMystery

Lantana

- Sometimes love isn't enough.

Plagued with grief over the murder of her daughter, Valerie Somers suspects that her husband John is cheating on her. When Valerie disappears, Detective Leon Zat attempts to solve the mystery of her absence. A complex web of love, sex and deceit emerges -- drawing in four related couples whose various partners are distrustful and suspicious about each other's involvement.

Release Date : 2001-10-04

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : MBP (Germany)Jan Chapman ProductionsAustralian Film Finance CorporationNew South Wales Film & Television Office

Production Country : GermanyAustralia

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Leon Zat

Original Name : Anthony LaPaglia

Gender : Male

Character Name : John Knox

Original Name : Geoffrey Rush

Gender : Male

Character Name : Valerie Somers

Original Name : Barbara Hershey

Gender : Female

Character Name : Sonja Zat

Original Name : Kerry Armstrong

Gender : Female

Character Name : Jane O'May

Original Name : Rachael Blake

Gender : Female

Character Name : Nick

Original Name : Vince Colosimo

Gender : Male

Character Name : Michael

Original Name : Russell Dykstra

Gender : Male

Character Name : Paula D'Amato

Original Name : Daniela Farinacci

Gender : Female

Character Name : Patrick Phelan

Original Name : Peter Phelps

Gender : Male

Character Name : Claudia Wiss

Original Name : Leah Purcell

Gender : Female

Character Name : Pete O'May

Original Name : Glenn Robbins

Gender : Male

Character Name : Steve Valdez

Original Name : Manu Bennett

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lisa

Original Name : Melissa Martínez

Gender : Female

Character Name : Old Man in Pyjamas

Original Name : Owen McKenna

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sam

Original Name : Nicholas Cooper

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dylan

Original Name : Marc Dwyer

Gender : Male

Character Name : Drug Dealer

Original Name : Puven Pather

Gender : Male

Character Name : Police Officer

Original Name : Lionel Tozer

Gender : Male

Character Name : Police Officer

Original Name : Glenn Suter

Gender : Male

Character Name : Young Girl

Original Name : Natasha Guthrie

Gender : Male

Character Name : Man at Book Launch

Original Name : James Cullington

Gender : Male

Character Name : Eleanor

Original Name : Ashley Fitzgerald

Gender : Male

Character Name : Hannah

Original Name : Keira Wingate

Gender : Male

Character Name : Harry

Original Name : Angus Cripps

Gender : Male

Character Name : Harry

Original Name : William Cripps

Gender : Male

Character Name : Woman Dance Partner

Original Name : Kay Armstrong

Gender : Male

Character Name : Jacob

Original Name : Jacomb Borra

Gender : Male

Character Name : Jose

Original Name : Ben Mortley

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sarah

Original Name : Gabriella Maselli

Gender : Male

Character Name : Newsreader

Original Name : Richard Morecroft

Gender : Male

Character Name : Patrick's Lover

Original Name : Lani John Tupu

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lover's Wife

Original Name : Lesley Hancock

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lover's Child

Original Name : Angus McGuigan

Gender : Male

Character Name : Paramedic #1 (uncredited)

Original Name : Michael Di Nuzzo

Gender : Male

Character Name : Man in Alleyway (uncredited)

Original Name : Greg Eccleston

Gender : Male

Reviews

Wuchak

@Wuchak

2021-06-23

***Exceptional drama about a detective in Sydney… and so much more*** "Lantana" is an Australian drama from 2001 about four couples in the Sydney area (where the film was shot). There are some important peripheral characters as well. The husband of the main couple is a detective going through a mid-life crisis (Anthony LaPaglia). His wife (Kerry Armstrong) knows something's wrong and is getting counseling. The marriage of her counselor (Barbara Hershey) is also troubled due to the death of their young daughter 18 months earlier. The woman the detective is having a fling with (Rachael Blake) lives next door to a couple whose marriage is the only solid relationship in the story (Vince Colosimo & Daniela Farinacci). Or is it? When one of these women turns up missing the counselor's husband becomes a suspect (Geoffrey Rush). The reason the film's called "Lantana" is because lantana is a tangled shrub common in Australia, which represents the entanglements of the lives of the characters. It also symbolizes marriage since lantana has a sweet but bitter smell: it's beautiful with its flowers, but has "stings"; its branches weave together in a complicated way and in the story a woman is caught in the complexity of it. "Lantana" is the antithesis of big, dumb, effects-laden "blockbusters," which oddly enough often become boring with their overload of "exciting" things going on. "Lantana" effectively shows that ordinary life is more interesting and compelling, if done right. Human nature is explored through a blend of passionate emotions, misconceptions, betrayals, anger, premature conclusions, vanity, duty, ethics, lies, honesty, loyalty, repentance and restoration. Three of my all-time favorite dramas are "Grand Canyon” (1991), "Snow Angels" (2007) and “Pulp Fiction” (1994). I place "Lantana" in their company. That's how exceptional it is. The film runs 2 hours, 1 minute. GRADE: A