Like lantana, an exotic tropical shrub which conceals within its beauty a dense, thorny undergrowth, the main characters in this untraditional crime story also each have something to hide. The film’s lead plays a detective whose investigation becomes tangled up in a complex labyrinth of relationships, passions, secrets and lies concealed by several married couples.
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.
121 min / Black & white, 35 mm
Director Ray Lawrence
/ Screenplay Andrew Bovell
/ Dir. of Photography Mandy Walker
/ Music Paul Kelly
/ Editor Karl Sodersten
/ Producer Jan Chapman
/ Production Beyond Films, Jan Chapman Productions
/ Cast Anthony LaPaglia, Geoffrey Rush, Barbara Hershey, Kerry Armstrong
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.
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