Question:
Australian drama Lantana opened last week in UK cinemas with a lot of good reviews but little fanfare, which is a shame as it's one of the best films of the year so far and deserves a wider audience than it will receive.
The film opens with a woman's body lying face down in the woods and centres on a police investigation of her disappearance but it's not really a murder mystery, more an intelligent and compassionate study of four couples whose lives are intertwined by fate or chance.
Sydney detective Anthony LaPaglia is having a midlife crisis and neglecting his unhappy wife Kerry Armstrong and having an affair with lonely Rachael Blake, who is separated from her husband and envies her neighbours' domestic bliss. Meanwhile Armstrong confides her fears for her marriage in psychiatrist Barbara Hershey, who is herself afraid that her husband Geoffrey Rush is sleeping with a male patient of hers.
The abundance of characters might remind you of Short Cuts or Magnolia but Lantana is less ambitious, less flashy and more character driven, recalling the quiet, simmering drama of Monster's Ball and You Can Count On Me. The acting is remarkable all around but LaPaglia stands out, brilliantly evoking a man unhappy with his life, helpless to change it and angry at his helplessness. (If you recognise him from The Client, So I Married An Axe Murderer or his many other Hollywood films where he usually plays Italian Americans, you may be surprised to learn he's actually an Aussie!)
If you're looking for a smart adult drama amongst the summer blockbusters and you can't wait for Insomnia and The Road To Perdition, take a chance on this terrific film.
If it's not on at your local cinema then you can also get it on region 4 dvd (http://www.fbo.com.au/movie.asp?ID=7138)
...and on R1 DVD at DVDSoon. About £11 ish.
Cracking Movie!:thumbs:
I reviewed the R1 months ago and I am still singing its praises! Just a superb film!
I watched it recently, and although I enjoyed it there was just a nagging at the back of my mind whilst watching it, regarding the astronomical coincidences. Also a thread involving LaPaglia's heart trouble and sudden interest in a fitness regime just stopped.
Apart from that it was an enjoyable film, and worthy of checking out. Not everyones cup 'o tea, but then again - what is?
The film opens with a woman's body lying face down in the woods and centres on a police investigation of her disappearance but it's not really a murder mystery, more an intelligent and compassionate study of four couples whose lives are intertwined by fate or chance.
Sydney detective Anthony LaPaglia is having a midlife crisis and neglecting his unhappy wife Kerry Armstrong and having an affair with lonely Rachael Blake, who is separated from her husband and envies her neighbours' domestic bliss. Meanwhile Armstrong confides her fears for her marriage in psychiatrist Barbara Hershey, who is herself afraid that her husband Geoffrey Rush is sleeping with a male patient of hers.
The abundance of characters might remind you of Short Cuts or Magnolia but Lantana is less ambitious, less flashy and more character driven, recalling the quiet, simmering drama of Monster's Ball and You Can Count On Me. The acting is remarkable all around but LaPaglia stands out, brilliantly evoking a man unhappy with his life, helpless to change it and angry at his helplessness. (If you recognise him from The Client, So I Married An Axe Murderer or his many other Hollywood films where he usually plays Italian Americans, you may be surprised to learn he's actually an Aussie!)
If you're looking for a smart adult drama amongst the summer blockbusters and you can't wait for Insomnia and The Road To Perdition, take a chance on this terrific film.
Answers:
If it's not on at your local cinema then you can also get it on region 4 dvd (http://www.fbo.com.au/movie.asp?ID=7138)
Answers:
...and on R1 DVD at DVDSoon. About £11 ish.
Cracking Movie!:thumbs:
Answers:
I reviewed the R1 months ago and I am still singing its praises! Just a superb film!
Answers:
I watched it recently, and although I enjoyed it there was just a nagging at the back of my mind whilst watching it, regarding the astronomical coincidences. Also a thread involving LaPaglia's heart trouble and sudden interest in a fitness regime just stopped.
Apart from that it was an enjoyable film, and worthy of checking out. Not everyones cup 'o tea, but then again - what is?
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