SPOILERS!!!!!
Virtually every reviewer uses the word "Australian" in his or her opinion of this film - "a great Australian film", "a disappointing Australian film", etc.
As far as I'm concerned, Lantana is an outstanding film. It happens to be Australian, but it's outstanding by any standard. There are few scripts that demonstrate such intelligence and insight about the way real people actually behave, whether well or badly, in situations that confront them.
From the very beginning, where Geoffrey Rush (a wonderful actor) snipes at his wife for having published a book about the murder of their daughter, to the end where Rush admits that he had heard but ignored his wife's call, it has a depth of understanding of human beings that very few films have.
The acting is flawless. The pacing is precise - those who call it slow have no idea how to watch a film.
I've watched it many times. It's a classic.
Virtually every reviewer uses the word "Australian" in his or her opinion of this film - "a great Australian film", "a disappointing Australian film", etc.
As far as I'm concerned, Lantana is an outstanding film. It happens to be Australian, but it's outstanding by any standard. There are few scripts that demonstrate such intelligence and insight about the way real people actually behave, whether well or badly, in situations that confront them.
From the very beginning, where Geoffrey Rush (a wonderful actor) snipes at his wife for having published a book about the murder of their daughter, to the end where Rush admits that he had heard but ignored his wife's call, it has a depth of understanding of human beings that very few films have.
The acting is flawless. The pacing is precise - those who call it slow have no idea how to watch a film.
I've watched it many times. It's a classic.