‘Lantana’ a gripping study of the human condition

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In theaters

LANTANA, directed by Ray Lawrence, written by Andrew Bovell, based on his stage play “Speaking in Tongues,” 120 minutes, rated R.

Ray Lawrence’s “Lantana” was one of last year’s best films, though chances are most haven’t heard of it.

The film fell through the cracks last December when it was released opposite “The Lord of the Rings,” “Ocean’s Eleven,” “Vanilla Sky,” “A Beautiful Mind” and “The Royal Tenenbaums.”

Overwhelmed by the competition – and without much of a marketing budget to call its own – the film, which has since swept the 2001 Australian Film Institute Awards with wins for best picture, best actor and best actress, was lost to a sea of big-studio hype.

That’s especially unfortunate since “Lantana,” mirroring last year’s best film, “In the Bedroom,” offers such a gripping, spot-on look at Hollywood’s most overlooked demographic – middle-aged adults.

Based on screenwriter Andrew Bovell’s stage play, “Speaking in Tongues,” “Lantana” is a dark, moody domestic drama structured like a psychological thriller. With its lingering opening shot of an unidentifiable woman lying dead within the prickly branches of a lantana bush, one would think its sole focus would be on solving her death.

But “Lantana” pulls off a nice trick. As much as this woman’s death drives the film, its real interest is in exploring the lives that collide because of it.

Set in Sydney, Australia, the film, told in flashback, stars Anthony LaPaglia as Leon Zat, a gruff, cranky police detective whose unfulfilling marriage to Sonja (Kerry Armstrong) has led him into the arms of Jane (Rachael Blake), a needy woman whose troubled marriage to Pete (Glenn Robbins) has ended in a bitter separation.

Sensing her own marriage is falling apart, Sonja makes an appointment to see Valerie (Barbara Hershey), a psychologist whose sexless marriage to John (Geoffrey Rush) hasn’t been the same since their 11-year-old daughter was murdered two years before. Convinced John is having a homosexual affair with one of her clients, Valerie lives, like so many of Lawrence’s characters, in a state of denial fueled by fear of the truth – and the paralyzing idea that she’ll find herself alone in midlife.

With skill and insight, Lawrence interweaves all of his characters seamlessly – he also tosses in Jane’s neighbors, Nik and Paula (Vince Colosimo and Daniella Farinacci), whose once unbreakable marriage nearly crumbles – connecting them to the dead woman while at the same time reinforcing their disconnection to themselves, each other and the world.

As a mystery, “Lantana” is memorable. But as a study in human relationships and the human condition, it’s unforgettable.

Grade: A

On video and DVD

LOST & DELIRIOUS, directed by Lea Pool, written by Judith Thompson, based on the novel “The Wives of Bath” by Susan Swan, 100 minutes, not rated.

Lea Pool’s coming-of-age movie, “Lost & Delirious,” proves it isn’t easy being young and in love, but then it also proves it isn’t easy making a movie about the young and in love. Taking a cue from some teen romances, the film underscores the fact that if one’s hormones aren’t held in check, all can be lost to melodrama.

To a point, Pool’s film is a sincere look at adolescence and adolescent love that has guts. The problem is that, by the final reel, it’s wearing so much of its guts on its sleeve, some might want to look away.

Based on Susan Swan’s novel, “The Wives of Bath,” the film follows Mary Bradford (Mischa Barton), a quiet girl nicknamed Mouse who’s recently been shipped to a Montreal boarding school by her indifferent father and his breezy new wife.

At school, Mouse is faced with a new life, something she wasn’t exactly seeking (“I felt like a tiny gray mouse heading straight for the mouth of a cat”), but things eventually look up when she meets her roommates Tory (Jessica Pare) and Paulie (Piper Perabo), a fun couple who surprise Mary by revealing they really are a couple.

As Tory and Paulie explore the boundaries of their lesbian relationship, which smashes apart when Tory’s sister catches them together in bed, Mary is forced to face the boundaries of her own life – and question how she herself responds to the world.

“Lost & Delirious” wouldn’t be nearly as affecting if it weren’t for the conviction of its cast; Perabo, in particular, has some terrific moments when Pool isn’t insisting that she overact, and Barton grounds the film’s overblown midsection and ending with an economy of style that softens the increasingly hysterical mood. But Judith Thompson’s script, which initially skirts a number of cliches and seems so promising, inexplicably turns sour.

Indeed, as the nearly destroyed Paulie finds herself shrieking Shakespeare’s sonnets while fencing with Tory’s male suitors, the film leaves all sense of reality behind – and dissolves into a muddy puddle of camp.

Grade: C-

Christopher Smith is the Bangor Daily News film critic. His reviews appear Mondays and Fridays in Style, Tuesdays on “News Center at 5” and Thursdays at “News Center at 5:30” on WLBZ 2 and WCSH 6. He can be reached at BDNFilm1@aol.com.

The Video/DVD Corner

Renting a video or a DVD? NEWS film critic Christopher Smith can help. Below are his grades of recent releases in video stores.

Captain Corelli’s Mandolin ? D

Ghost World ? A

Lost & Delirious ? C-

Atlantis: The Lost Empire ? C

The Curse of the Jade Scorpion ? B-

Lisa Picard is “Famous” ? B

Kiss of the Dragon ? B-

Rock Star ? B

American Pie 2 ? C+

Bubble Boy ? F

Glitter ? D

Sound and Fury ? A

Jeepers Creepers ? D

The Fast and the Furious ? B

The Glass House ? C

Greenfingers ? B-

What’s the Worse that Could

Happen ? D

The Center of the World ? C

Evolution ? D-

Two Can Play That Game ? C+

Moulin Rouge ? A-

The Princess Diaries ? C+

Scary Movie 2 ? D

Hedwig and the Angry Inch ? A

Jurassic Park III ? B-

Rush Hour 2 ? D

The Score ? B

American Outlaws ? F

Ghost of Mars ? C-

Pearl Harbor ? D

Summer Catch ? C-

Bread and Roses ? A-

Divided We Fall ? A

Made ? B

Pootie Tang ? D+

Osmosis Jones ? C-

Dr. Suess’ How the Grinch Stole

Christmas ? D+

Planet of the Apes ? C-

America’s Sweethearts ? D+

crazy/beautiful ? B

Tomb Raider ? D+

Doctor Zhivago (DVD debut) ? A-