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ERA
Did you know
25 years old β old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#01
Lantana
"Sometimes love isn't enough."
2001 2h 1m EN
π
6.7
SOLID
π₯
90%
CERTIFIED FRESH
π―
84
METACRITIC
β
7.2
IMDB
β
6.7TMDB Β· 237π
90%Rotten Tomatoesβ84Metacriticβ
7.2IMDB Β· 20,647
CrimeDramaMystery
Synopsis
Spoiler shield
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.
βSometimes love isn't enough.β
Cast
Anthony LaPaglia
Leon Zat
Geoffrey Rush
John Knox
Barbara Hershey
Valerie Somers
Kerry Armstrong
Sonja Zat
Rachael Blake
Jane O'May
Vince Colosimo
Nick
Russell Dykstra
Michael
Daniela Farinacci
Paula D'Amato
Credits
Behind the camera
- Director
- Ray Lawrence
- Writers
- Andrew Bovell
- Languages
- English
- Countries
- Germany, Australia
Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.
Did you know?
Fun facts πΏ
2 / 8
WORLD
Did you know
International production across 2 countries: Germany, Australia.
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#02
3 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Directed by Ray Lawrence, shot by Mandy Walker. Note their partnership β DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#03
4 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Original score by Steve Hadley. Worth a dedicated listen after β most great films lose half their impact without the score.
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#04
5 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Editor Karl Sodersten shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#05
6 / 8
CAST
Did you know
Anthony LaPaglia and Geoffrey Rush and Barbara Hershey carry the top of the cast.
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#06
7 / 8
FACT
Did you know
Marketing tagline: "Sometimes love isn't enough.".
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#07
8 / 8
WILD
Did you know
IMDB entry: tt0259393 β still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#08
Cinephile deep dive
The take
Ray Lawrence directs. Mandy Walker behind the camera. Steve Hadley scores. Karl Sodersten cuts. Produced in Germany, Australia. Dialogue in English.
Trivia
Things worth knowing
- 125 years old β old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
- 2International production across 2 countries: Germany, Australia.
- 3Directed by Ray Lawrence, shot by Mandy Walker. Note their partnership β DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
- 4Original score by Steve Hadley. Worth a dedicated listen after β most great films lose half their impact without the score.
- 5Editor Karl Sodersten shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
- 6Anthony LaPaglia and Geoffrey Rush and Barbara Hershey carry the top of the cast.
- 7Marketing tagline: "Sometimes love isn't enough.".
- 8IMDB entry: tt0259393 β still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
- 9Classified under 12 themes, including "sydney, australia", "infidelity", "husband wife relationship", "police".
The technical file
- Cinematography
- Mandy Walker
- Original score
- Steve Hadley
- Editing
- Karl Sodersten
- Production design
- Kim Buddee
- Costume design
- Margot Wilson
- Makeup / hair
- Robern Pickering
- Sound
- Andrew Plain
- Stunt coordinator
- Lawrence Woodward
- Runtime
- 121 min Β· 2h 1m
- Status
- Released
- Box office
- $15,747,947
- Original language
- EN
- Certification (US)
- R
- IMDB
- Lantana (2001)
- Rotten Tomatoes
- 90% π Fresh
- Metacritic
- 84/100
- IMDB rating
- 7.2/10 Β· 20,647 votes
- MPAA
- R
Awards
36 wins & 22 nominations total
- AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
- AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
- AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
- AACTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay
- AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
- AACTA Award for Best Film
- AACTA Award for Best Direction
Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.
Also by
Ray Lawrence
Trailers & featurettes
Watch the pieces
Community reviews
What people are saying
- Wuchakβ 9/10
Exceptional drama about a detective in Sydneyβ¦ 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 Canyonβ (1991), "Snow Angels" (2007) and βPulp Fictionβ (1994). I place "Lantana" in their company. That's how exceptional it is. The film runs 2 hours, 1 minute. GRADE: A
Production companies
Who made it
- MB
MBP
DE
- JA
Jan Chapman Productions
AU
Australian Film Finance Corporation
AU
New South Wales Film & Television Office
AU
Key crew
- Executive ProducerMikael Borglund
- ProducerJan Chapman
- Executive ProducerRainer Mockert
- EditorKarl Sodersten
- Theatre PlayAndrew Bovell
- Dialect CoachVictoria Mielewska
- Stand InDomonic Mahoney
- Stunt CoordinatorLawrence Woodward
- StuntsDamian Bradford
- StuntsZelie Bullen
- StuntsLazaro Cifuentes
- StuntsPaul Doyle
- StuntsSam Elia
- StuntsAshley Fairfield
- StuntsScotty Gregory
- StuntsTony Lynch
- StuntsLinda Megier
- StuntsAndrew Owen
- StuntsPuven Pather
- StuntsTove Petterson
- StuntsBrad Praed
- StuntsGlenn Suter
- Still PhotographerElise Lockwood
- Focus PullerDavid Elmes
Themes & keywords
What it's about, really
- sydney, australia
- infidelity
- husband wife relationship
- police
- therapist
- marriage crisis
- loss of loved one
- investigation
- based on play or musical
- disappearance
- dance class
- salsa
Release history Β· US
When it landed
- Theatrical2002-03-08R
Also known as
International titles
- Parejas en conflictoMX
- λνλKR
