Movie #27 - Lantana

The last weekend of the holidays (sigh - so long ago now!) I watched 3 movies.  Anything for Her; Greenberg; and Lantana.  I really enjoyed Lantana, especially as the end of Greenberg has a character with an atrocious Australian accent (not an Australian, by the way).  So to hear, then, familiar accents and idioms, and see country that I know - wonderful. 

I think I need to explain some of my mood here.  The morning of the day I watched it, I went to church.  The collect was for married people, and the sermon was about married people and people in relationships.  I have never felt before the way I did in church that day.  To watch Lantana that evening, then, was fortuitous.  All these people in relationships, trying to navigate the minefield of living your own life but being a good partner, compromise, responsibility, honesty, deception, secrets, trust, betrayal, passion and lack of it - it reminded me that there are just as many problems in relationships as there are without.

We're presented with all these relationships, each connected to another whether they know it or not.  And this was before Facebook!  It's tempting to judge each relationship on how well they're doing - I admit it, I judged.  And so I landed a few surprises along the way.  The 'best' couple - not perfect, but they are so open with each other, no secrets - they are certainly tested when the husband is accused of being involved with the disappearance of the psychiatrist.  And tested when the newly divorced neighbour starts flirting with him.  But the wife sticks by her husband ("in good times and in bad"). 

One couple - the shrink and her man - are slightly infuriating.  So calm, so 'shrink-like' - like there's no passion, just mature adults.  But still waters run deep, and the discovery that they lost their child not so long ago explains a lot.  I still wanted to them to have a good screaming match and then make up, but that was not to be.  Their house though - wow.  If you haven't been to the Hawkesbury river, or up around Hornsby with all that lovely bushland, put it on your bucket list.  I'm slightly biased as this area of Sydney is in my blood, but I still maintain it's beautiful.

Anthony LaPaglia's character... I can't help liking him.  True, he's having an affair.  As his police partner says to him, he's got a perfectly good marriage (something which still eludes her) and he's "pissing all over it".  His mid-life crises have an element of humour as well as desperation.  His lack of anger management is starting to be a problem but (from this vantage point) I see that more as a sign of depression than bad character.  After all, we are all flawed.  There are very few among us who behave impeccably all of the time, even if we try.  Sometimes, you need to fall off the wagon a bit to help you be better again in the future.  And having to investigate the shrink's disappearance - more, when I think of it, the husband's lack of passion towards her - reminds him, shows him, how much he loves his wife, how much he cares for her, and how easily she might leave him and how dreadful that might be. 

I think that it's this Shakespearean element of flawed character that makes this movie so appealing.  We are all flawed, no one has a perfect relationship unless they are in la-la land, and we are all connected whether we know it or not. 

Movie #5

The Bank.  A 2001 Australian film starring David Wenham and Anthony LaPaglia.  I'm a fan of both those actors.  Yet... This movie had been sitting in my "I really should see this" pile for many months (the middle of last year, in fact).  I'd often pick it up, look at the cover, and then think ".... ummmm.... not really in the mood for this now".  But, with all this business of watching different movies, I was right in the zone. 

This is such a clever movie.  Two tragedies, 24 years apart, are the basis for the two plots which tie in so neatly that the ending is so incredibly satisfying.  It is quite sad, but also quite funny - I had one of those 'wake up the neighbourhood' laughs at what I consider the best bit (the dad's revenge).  Having the good guys win, and the bad guys get their comeuppance - really, how good is that?! 

It was very interesting to see this now, as opposed to when it was released.  The main plot is all about predicting market crashes.  Although made in 2001, it's set it October 2002.  Anyone watching it these days would know that yes, there was a big market crash - in September 2001.  Aside from that, though, there are so many issues still in the news today.  Shareholders, accountability of businesses, small business versus the banks, trust, full disclosure, foreign markets, morals, principles, ethics, underdogs - it felt very Australian, yet rather global too.

Visually and aurally this is also well done.  The camera work is noticeably good.  The shots of the Yarra, the lights from the bridge... My favourite visual part was a shot from above.  David Wenham's character is trying to decide if he's a good guy or a corporate player, and leaves the bank to have a walk and a think.  It's Melbourne, so it's just been raining, the ground is wet.  We see him walking over these repetitive pavers, and the reflection of the bank in the water on the ground follows him.  Aurally, the music is very well done, at least for the most part (a little bit of cliche ruined a moment for me).  I wasn't surprised to see at the end several big Australian music names.  As well as several big acting names, of course.