neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Lantana
	Ray Lawrence Anthony LaPaglia, Geoffrey Rush, Barbara Hershey, Kerry Armstrong, Rachael Blake 2001 Widescreen; closed caption; Spanish, English subtitles; commentary by production team; behind-the-scenes footage.		A mature, studied drama revolving around the police investigation of a high-profile missing-persons case in Sydney, Australia. The story also concerns the fortunes of four married couples who become embroiled in the situation. It's hard to tell whether this is more crime thriller or soap opera, but it works well on both counts, regardless of some coincidences that are convenient for dramatic purposes. The chief investigator on the case is an emotionally numb cop (Anthony LaPaglia) who is having an affair with a married woman (Rachael Blake) he met while at a Latin dance class with his wife (Kerry Armstrong). It seems that the cop would rather cheat than confront the fact that his marriage is ailing. His lover's neighbors disapprove of the dalliance. Meanwhile, a noted psychiatrist (Barbara Hershey) and her husband (Geoffrey Rush) are also having marital problems. Soon, all of these people, the cop's partner and even a few of the psychiatrist's patients will be impacted by an unforeseen tragedy.