Lantana Film Analysis

Lantana is a 2001 Australian film, directed by Ray Lawrence set in suburban Sydney. The film’s central event is the disappearance and death of a mystery woman whose identity isn’t revealed until the end, despite her body being shown in the opening segment. The motif of the lantana, a weed prevalent in suburban Sydney is used to represent key ideas central to the film. The lantana consists of dense interlaced branches that spread quickly, producing brightly coloured flowers. It chokes and engulfs light as it paradoxically reaches for the sun. This weed is used as a motif throughout the film showing how appearances can be deceiving and the seemingly random entanglement and entwinement of the lives of the characters.
The opening scene is a high angle shot of panning over a lantana with bright natural lighting, this camera then slowly drifts into the darkness of the lantana transitioning from the superficial beauty that was shown on the surface in the darkness underneath showing a body tangled between thickets of thorny undergrowth. The first time this motif is shown again in the next scene which is the scene where Jane are Leon are having sex in the motel room. The use of a sound bridge into
reality. The opening theme is deceiving as it originally appears to be something sexual, full of passion and sex however it is shown to be a cheap and meaningless sex being a “one night stand that happened twice”. The Zat family on the surface appears to be a perfectly functioning family however they are later shown to be cracked family on the edge of breaking due to the acts of Leon and the lack of passion and trust. Couples failing to function is a common occurrence, John and Valerie are no exception. They seem to be a loving couple however in reality they are hollowed out versions of themselves held together by the power of grief with their love being lost alongside