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Lantana
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Behind the Sun
Rated PG-13
2001, Miramax
Lantana
Rated R
2001, Lion's Gate
The Shipping News
Rated R
2001, Miramax
If foreign-language films were as popular today with audiences in America as they were 25 years ago, Brazilian filmmaker Walter Salles would be something of a cinema celebrity. Central Station, his 1998 drama about an embittered Rio schoolteacher (Fernanda Montenegro) who reunites a young boy (Vinicius de Oliveira) with his father in remote northeast Brazil, earned plenty of critical acclaim upon its release. Still, as far as U.S. audiences were concerned, the Brazilian film renaissance never happened and Salles quickly returned to obscurity.
Life Somewhere Else, Salles' 1996 documentary, as well as his 1995 feature, Foreign Land, remain little seen. More disappointing is the fact that Salles' latest feature, the epic period drama Behind the Sun, never received a strong theatrical release.
Set in 1910, Behind the Sun follows two rural families whose ongoing land feud has created an endless cycle of murder. Finally, Tonió (Rodrigo Santoro), the oldest remaining son of one family, questions his father's insatiable thirst for vengeance. Tonió wants to leave his family's sugarcane farm and start a new life with Clara (Flavia Marco Antonio), a pretty female circus performer. The dilemma is whether Tonió can leave his village before becoming the feud's latest victim.
Behind the Sun is gorgeous to watch. There are lyrical images of sugarcane harvesting, a circus performance and a child's swing. Spirited performances from Behind the Sun's ensemble cast, especially the handsome Santoro, are its greatest asset. By stepping away from Central Station's sociopolitical themes, Salles has made a David Lean-like epic that's tender, eloquent and spirited.
On the subject of overlooked gems, Anthony LaPaglia's riveting performance as an adulterous police detective is the powerful center of director Ray Lawrence's complex thriller, Lantana. LaPaglia plays Leon Zat, a middle-aged cop whose affair with his girlfriend, Jane (Rachael Blake), has made him uncaring towards his wife, Sonja (Kerry Armstrong). Zat is comfortable with his deceitful life, until his investigation of a missing psychiatrist (Barbara Hershey) opens the wounds of his own troubled marriage.
Screenwriter Andrew Bovell adapts his own play, Speaking in Tongues, for Lawrence's adult drama. Bovell's intimacy with the material makes Lantana one of the most challenging and emotionally honest stories in recent memory. The film is filled with surprises. Still, it's LaPaglia's unforgettable lead performance that drives Lantana's suspenseful story-telling: LaPaglia proves he's among Hollywood's acting elite.
Director Lasse Hallström's lulling adaptation of E. Annie Proulx's Pulitzer Prize--winning 1993 novel turns out to be a puzzling mystery. The Shipping News is the type of heart-tugging melodrama that matches well with Hallström's storytelling skills. Yet, the film never comes to life. Hallström gathers an impressive ensemble cast with little success. Kevin Spacey sleepwalks through his performance as Quoyle, a single father and aspiring journalist who returns to his Newfoundland hometown with his young daughter. Julianne Moore is cool and distant as Wavey, the local schoolteacher who catches Quoyle's eye. Judi Dench enjoys a few sassy lines of dialogue as Quoyle's crotchety Aunt Agnis. Only Cate Blanchett, playing Quoyle's manipulative wife, appears capable of breathing some much-needed energy into The Shipping News. Unfortunately, her role is little more than an extended cameo.
Hallström's The Cider House Rules remains an effective tearjerker. What's Eating Gilbert Grape? (1993) skillfully balances laughs and drama. None of these storytelling skills are evident in The Shipping News. Instead, a favorite book is lost in all the casting hoopla. For the normally reliable Hallström, The Shipping News will be remembered as a missed opportunity.
Behind the Sun grade: B
Lantana grade: A
The Shipping News grade: D
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