Lantana

Anthony LaPaglia, Geoffrey Rush, Barbara Hershey A 'lantana' is a tangled, suffocating weed and Ray Lawrence's movie explores the twisting inter-relationships between an adulterous police detective, Leon Zat (LaPaglia), his wife (Hershey), her psychologist and a professor. This powerful psychological thriller manages to combine complex human emotions with gratifyingly real characters and a riveting storyline. LaPaglia gives the performance of his career in one of the best films of the year. Comparisons have been made with Altman and Paul Thomas Anderson, but Lawrence's canvas is less flamboyant, although just as intricate. At last, a deeply satisfying thriller for grown-ups that insists the most compelling mysteries are buried in human relationships.