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Unspoken Needs
Alienation in an alien nation.
By Sean Axmaker

LANTANA. Directed by Ray Lawrence. Written by Andrew Bovell, from his play Speaking in Tongues. Produced by Jan Chapman. Executive producers, Mikael Borglund and Rainer Mockert. Cinematography, Mandy Walker. Production design, Kim Buddee. Editor, Karl Sodersten. Costumes, Margot Wilson. Music, Paul Kelly. Starring Anthony LaPaglia, Geoffrey Rush, Barbara Hershey, Kerry Armstrong, Rachael Blake, Vince Colosimo, Russell Dykstra, Daniella Farinacci. Lions Gate Films, 2001. R. 121 minutes.

 
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The camera creeps through the underbrush and scrub. Insects buzz ominously on the soundtrack while the graceful track of the camera slowly reveals a svelte dead woman: a wedding ring, torn stockings, and a red shoe. The elegance and restraint of the scene creates an unsettling mood, as does the mystery of her identity. We don't see her face.

Jump to Leon (Anthony LaPaglia) and Jane (Rachael Blake) in the midst of lovemaking. As they dress afterwards, Jane searches for a lost earring. "I'm fond of them because my husband gave them to me." Leon lapses into an awkward silence. "This is not an affair," he coldly tells her after running into her later. "It's a one-night stand that happened twice."

Leon, a tightly wrapped police detective prone to violent outbursts, is married to Sonja (Kerry Armstrong), a vivacious woman whose campaign to bring passion back into their life is met with his indifference. Unable to open up to Leon, she turns to a psychiatrist, Valerie (Barbara Hershey), who is professional and distant to the point of unfeeling disconnection. Valerie is recovering from a shattering ordeal: the kidnapping and murder of her young daughter. Though she's written a book about her success in healing the emotional wound of the loss, her marriage to law professor John (Geoffrey Rush) is frozen in an uncommunicative silence broken only by the most mundane small talk. When one of Valerie's patients, a gay man with a frightening hostility toward women, describes his current affair with a married man, she begins to suspect it's John.

When Valerie disappears one night, leaving an abandoned car off a rural road, Leon's investigation brings him back to Jane, as well as her next door neighbors Nik (Vince Colosimo) and Paula (Daniela Farinacci), and her withdrawn husband, John. Though it's a small role, Rush invests the role with a brittle, haunted quality that makes his guilt over his part in Valerie's ordeal heartbreaking. "I'm numb. I can't feel anything anymore," he confesses, though he could be speaking for all the characters, whether they are withdrawing from their lives, reaching out to an unresponsive spouse, or trying to jolt their feelings through the physical sensation of sex.

Lantana (named for the thick, tangled Australian bush featured in the first scene) won seven Australian Film Institute awards, including all four acting categories. Ostensibly a Down Under murder mystery, the tangled lives of the unfulfilled, emotionally weary couples searching for love and connection resemble nothing so much as an Australian take on the criss-crossing casts of Magnolia or Short Cuts in the ominous key of Peter Weir's Picnic At Hanging Rock and The Last Wave.

Directed with cool surgical precision by Ray Lawrence (Bliss) from an exacting script by playwright Andrew Bovell, it at times feels smothered under the sustained tone of disconnection and frosty reserve. Scene after scene of characters unwilling or unable to communicate can become draining and this film doesn't spare the audience the discomfort.

What makes it work is the Lawrence's absolute dedication to his characters and his embrace of their fumbling frustrations. LaPaglia, an Australian native whose years in the U.S. has done some unusual things to his accent (which tends to fade in and out), radiates an inarticulate well of need under his doughy face and disaffected body language. Australian vet Armstrong offers a break-out performance as his vibrant wife devastated by his lack of intimacy and honesty. Lawrence creates an astounding mood out of the silences, the ominous sounds, the body language of characters afraid of physical intimacy, and in the faults, guilt, repressed fears and unspoken needs of these characters, Lawrence finds a tender and heartbreaking vulnerability that maybe, just maybe, will allow them to finally open up and reconnect.  

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OPENING OR RETURNING:
Films open the Friday following date of EW publication unless otherwise noted.

Big Trouble: Barry Sonnenfield directs Tim Allen, Renee Russo and a host of other recognizable names in this Elmore Leonardesque comedy based on Dave Barry's first novel. PG 13. Cinemark. Cinema World.

High Crimes: Ashley Judd plays a woman who finds out her husband is not who he claimed to be. She and Morgan Freedman must defend him from being framed by the military. PG 13. Cinemark. Cinema World.

John Q: Denzel Washington, father of a boy who needs an organ transplant, does desperate things. With Robert Duvall, James Woods, Anne Heche, Kimberly Elise, Ray Liotta. PG-13. Movies 12.

Monsoon Wedding: As a Punjabi family in Delhi gathers for a wedding celebration, traditional and contemporary culture mix. Created by Mira Nair (Salaam Bombay!), staring Naseeruddin Shah, Lillete Dubey and others. R. Bijou.


CONTINUING
Beautiful Mind, A: Inspired by the true story of a mathematical genius whose great discovery came early in his career, Ron Howard's film stars Russell Crowe, Ed Harris and Jennifer Connelly. Won Academy Awards for supporting actress, directing, best picture, and writing. Highly recommended. PG-13. Cinemark. See review.

Blade 2: Directed by Guillermo del Toro, who also directed Devil's Backbone. But there the resemblance ends. Wesley Snipes stars in this vampire horror flick. R. Cinemark. Cinema World.

Clockstoppers: Johnathan Frakes directs this teen movie about a boy who finds a way to stop time. Starring Jessie Bradford, French Stewart and Paula Garces. PG. Cinemark.

Death to Smoochy: Robin Williams is a children's TV show actor who is fired and replaced by Smoochy, a rhino played by Edward Norton. Danny de Vito also stars in, and directs, this dark satire. R. Cinemark. Cinema World.

ET, The Extra-Terrestrial: 20th Anniversary: Beloved classic story of a boy and his alien friend, with subtly new footage and digitally remixed music. PG. Cinemark. Cinema World. See review.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: Utterly faithful to J.K. Rowling's book. Stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, John Cleese, Robbie Coltrane and more. Directed by Chris Columbus. PG. Movies 12. See review.

Ice Age: Chris Wedge directs the voices of Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, and Goran Vizjnic in this digitally animated story of prehistoric creatures trying to save a human child. G. Cinemark. Cinema World.

Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius: Animated tale of an inventive 10-year old boy and his robot dog who live in a world where wishes come true. Jimmy wishes his parents would disappear. When all the parents disappear, Jimmy and his pals have to bring them back. G. Movies 12.

Lantana: Anthony LaPaglia plays a cop with a midlife crisis in this Australian film about middle age and alienation. Also Geoffrey Rush, Barbara Hershey and Kerry Armstrong. R. Bijou. See review.

Last Orders: Four old friend's story is retold during their journey to sprinkle the ashes of one into the sea. Set in England, starring Michael Cain, Bob Hoskins, David Hemmings and Tom Courtenay. R. Bijou.

Lord of the Rings, The: The Fellowship of the Ring: The first book in J. R. R. Tolkien's literary trilogy, directed by Peter Jackson stars Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett, Liv Tyler, Sean Astin, Christopher Lee. Academy Award winner for cinematography, makeup, and visual effects. Highest recommendations. PG-13. Cinemark. See review.

Monster's Ball: Marc Forster's highly acclaimed, powerful drama about a prison guard (Billy Bob Thornton) who falls in love with the widow (Halle Berry, Academy Award winner for Best Actress) of a recently executed Death Row convict. Filmed on location at infamous Louisiana penitentiary in Angola, picture also stars Heath Ledger and Peter Boyle. R. Cinemark.

Mothman Prophecies: Richard Gere, Debra Messing, Laura Linney, Will Patton and Alan Bates star in this tale of the supernatural based on events chronicled in John A. Keel's book. PG-13. Movies 12.

National Lampoon's Van Wilder: In the classic tradition of Lampoon movies, Walt Becker directs this comedy about graduation. Staring Ryan Reynolds and Tara Reid. R. Cinemark. Cinema World.

Ocean's Eleven: Steven Soderbergh's remake stars George Clooney, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt and Andy Garcia. This gang plans to hit several Las Vegas casinos on the same night. Soderbergh never disappoints. PG-13. Movies 12.

Orange Country: Colin Hanks and Jack Black star in Jake Kasdan's teen comedy about a transcript mix-up. PG-13. Movies 12.

Others, The: A haunted Victorian mansion, a rigid and icy mother (Nicole Kidman) and two special kids who see things makes this one of the scariest movies made, critics say. Directed by Spanish filmmaker Alejandro Amenábar with style, it's very highly recommended. PG-13. Movies 12. See review.

Panic Room: David Fincher directs Jodie Foster, Forrest Whitaker and Dwight Yoakam in this creepy thriller about a woman and her daughter stuck in a room in their own home. R. Cinemark. Cinema World.

Rookie, The: Dennis Quaid stars as baseball coach who makes a deal with his team and ends up trying out for a minor league contract. Also with Rachel Griffiths. G. Cinemark. Cinema World.

Royal Tenenbaums, The: Wes Anderson directs this critically acclaimed film that looks at a family of geniuses who turn out to be simply neurotic. Stars Gene Hackman, Angelica Huston, Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Danny Glover and Bill Murray. AFI Award: Hackman. Academy noms to Anderson and Wilson's screenplay. Much sweeter on second seeing. Highest recommendations. R. Movies 12. See review.

Showtime: Eddie Murphy and Robert De Niro spoof TV cop shows. Also starring Rene Russo and William Shatner. PG-13. Cinemark.

Snow Dogs: Brian Levant directs Cuba Gooding Jr. in this Disney tale of a man who goes to Alaska to claim his inheritance  a team of sled dogs with their own minds. With James Coburn, M. Emmet Walsh and Graham Greene. PG. Movies 12.

Super Troopers: Five Vermont State Troopers with not enough to do create havoc on the highway. Written by and starring a five-man comedy troupe, Broken Lizard. R. Movies 12.

Vanilla Sky: Cameron Crowe directs this erotic thriller starring Tom Cruise, Penélope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Kurt Russell, Jason Lee and Timothy Spall. Highly recommended. R. Movies 12. See review.

Walk to Remember, A: Shane West and Mandy Moore star in this adaptation of a best-seller. Directed by Adam Shankman. PG. Movies 12.

We Were Soldiers: Mel Gibson stars as Lt. Col Hal Moore who led his men in the brutal battle for La Drang Valley in the Viet Nam war. Based on Moore's memoir. Directed by Randall Wallace, also stars Madeleine Stowe, Greg Kinnear, Sam Elliot, Chris Klein, Keri Russell and Barry Pepper. R. Cinemark. See review.


MOVIE THEATERS
Use the links provided below for specific show times.

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NEW RELEASES ON VIDEO:
Releases subject to change. Available the Tuesday following date of EW publication, sometimes sooner:

Spy Game: Robert Redford is a CIA officer who mentors Brad Pitt in this spy thriller directed by Tony Scott (Enemy of the State). Also stars Catherine McCormack. R.

Serendipity: Destiny has them meet by chance in a department store, and fate parts them right away. Now it's 10 years later, and John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale try to find each other again. Directed by Peter Chelsom (Town & Country). PG-13.

Mulholland Drive: David Lynch's neo-noir fantasy about Hollywood set in a nebulous time-frame stars Naomi Watts, Laura Harring and Justin Theroux. The first two-thirds is a love story between women, while the last third contains more typical Lynchian plot convolutions and role-switches. Highly recommended. R. See review.

No Man's Land: In Serbo-Croation with English subtitles. Golden Globe winner for best foreign film, this war movie stars Branko Djuric as a soldier who must trust his enemy in a life or death situation. Directed by Dani Tanovic. R.

Next week: The Man Who Wasn't There, Black Knight, Domestic Disturbance, Deep End, and Paragraph 175.

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