Lantana

Lantana is a 2001 Australian film, directed by Ray Lawrence. It is based on the play Speaking In Tongues by Andrew Bovell, which premiered at Sydney's Griffin Theatre Company. The film won seven AFI Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (LaPaglia), Best Actress (Armstrong), and Best Adapted Screenplay. Lantana is set in suburban Sydney and focuses on the relationships between the characters in the film. The central event of the... more

Lantana is a 2001 Australian film, directed by Ray Lawrence. It is based on the play Speaking In Tongues by Andrew Bovell, which premiered at Sydney's Griffin Theatre Company. The film won seven AFI Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (LaPaglia), Best Actress (Armstrong), and Best Adapted Screenplay. Lantana is set in suburban Sydney and focuses on the relationships between the characters in the film. The central event of the film is the disappearance and death of a woman whose body is shown at the start of the film, but whose identity is not revealed until later. The name Lantana derives from the plant Lantana, a weed prevalent in suburban Sydney. The movie opens with Leon (Anthony LaPaglia) having sex with Jane (Rachael Blake) in a motel room. Jane, recently separated from her husband, is in a dance class with Leon and his wife, Sonja (Kerry Armstrong). Sonja is a homemaker and mother of two with a passion for Latin dance and a deep sense of unease about her... less