Lantana (film)

Lantana
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRay Lawrence
Screenplay byAndrew Bovell
Based onSpeaking In Tongues (play)
by Andrew Bovell
Produced byJan Chapman
StarringAnthony LaPaglia
Geoffrey Rush
Barbara Hershey
Kerry Armstrong
Rachael Blake
Vince Colosimo
Russell Dykstra
Daniela Farinacci
Peter Phelps
Leah Purcell
Glenn Robbins
CinematographyMandy Walker
Edited byKarl Sodersten
Music byPaul Kelly
Production
companies
Distributed byPalace Films
Release dates
Running time
121 minutes[1]
CountriesAustralia
Germany
LanguageEnglish
Box office$15.7 million[2]

Lantana is a 2001 Australian-German drama film, directed by Ray Lawrence and starring Anthony LaPaglia, Kerry Armstrong, Geoffrey Rush and Barbara Hershey. It is based on the play Speaking In Tongues by Andrew Bovell, which premiered at Sydney's Griffin Theatre Company. The film won seven AACTA Awards including Best Film and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Lantana is set in suburban Sydney and focuses on the complex 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 film's name derives from the plant lantana, an invasive species of shrub prevalent in suburban Sydney, which is attractive on the surface but a tangle of dead wood on the inside. In the film it is a symbol of relationships, marriage in particular. Its tangled branches are a playground and shelter for children but a trap for adults.

  1. ^ "Lantana". Australian Classification. Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  2. ^ "Lantana (2001)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 17 January 2015.