Lantana

Colour, 35mm
Australia, 2001, 121 min
Section: Horizons

Synopsis

The lantana is an exotic shrub which grows in tropical climes. At first glance a beautiful plant with brightly coloured flowers. Underneath this beauty, however, lies a dense, thorny undergrowth. The lantana serves as the chief symbol in this psychological drama which unveils a labyrinth of relationships, passions and deceit at the hands of the protagonists. The central figure of this atypical crime story is detective Leon Zat who feels guilty about cheating on his wife. The director uses the structure of the tale as a framework for a detailed study of the relationships between four married couples. The secrets and lies harboured by these couples become variously intertwined with Leon’s investigation and highlight his own personal crisis which he has to resolve… The film’s merits lie above all in the excellent performances of stars Kerry Armstrong, Barbara Hershey, Geoffrey Rush and Anthony LaPaglia in the role of detective Zat. The film won seven awards from the Australian Film Institute, including Best Film and Screenplay and several awards for the acting performances. In addition, the film also came out on top in five of the main categories at the Australian Independent Film Awards.

About the director

Ray Lawrence is one of the most successful and best known directors of commercials. Since 1975 he has won the majority of the prestigious Australian prizes awarded in the field of television advertising. He debuted in feature film in 1985 with the controversial Bliss, an adaptation of the bestseller by Peter Carey, who co-wrote the screenplay. This commercially highly successful and critically acclaimed film was screened in competition at the Cannes IFF and also at a number of other festivals. After this achievement Lawrence returned to making commercials. He has written a number of screenplays, including Tracks, based on the novel by Robyn Davidson, and Sweetlip, based on the story of the same name by Robert Drewe. Lawrence is currently chiefly working in the United States. His most recent film Lantana was premiered in competition at the San Sebastian IFF.