Lantana

Excellent Australian ensemble drama in which the discovery of a corpse is the catalyst for an examination of several characters' lives and motivations. At the centre of this intricate tapestry of human relationships is Leon Zat (Anthony LaPagulia), a tough cop assigned to the case whose behaviour is not exactly what could be called 'exemplary'. Not surprisingly, Zat's wife (Armstrong) is in therapy and her doctor (Hershey) has personal problems of her own, as she believes her husband (Rush) may be questioning his own sexuality. Meanwhile, Zat's lover, Jane (Blake) knows that their illicit tryst is going nowhere and believes that a neighbour may offer her better long term prospects.

This is only a brief summarisation of events because, quite simply, there is so much going on in Lantana. The real skill of director Lawrence is transferring Andrew Bovell's densely populated but extremely rich text onto the screen, and giving these characters a real sense of purpose and individuality, without overplaying any of the coincidental flaws of the narrative. It's an incredibly difficult task which he has set himself, but one which he manages to pull off with remarkable assurance and skill. One of the year's best and if I could give it six stars, I would.