Lantana (film)

Lantana
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Ray Lawrence
Screenplay by	Andrew Bovell
Based on	Speaking In Tongues (play) by Andrew Bovell
Produced by	Jan Chapman
Starring	Anthony LaPaglia Geoffrey Rush Barbara Hershey Kerry Armstrong Rachael Blake Vince Colosimo Russell Dykstra Daniela Farinacci Peter Phelps Leah Purcell Glenn Robbins
Cinematography	Mandy Walker
Edited by	Karl Sodersten
Music by	Paul Kelly
Production companies	Australian Film Finance Corporation MBP New South Wales Film and Television Office Jan Chapman Films
Distributed by	Palace Films
Release dates	8 July 2001 (2001-07-08) (Sydney Film Festival) 4 October 2001 (2001-10-04) (Australia)
Running time	121 minutes[1]
Countries	Australia Germany
Language	English
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.