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Differences And Similarities Between Lantana And Beautiful Kate

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Australia as a nation has always had a complex and often underdeveloped sense of national identity, due to its complicated history, and multitude of cultural influences. As such, finding a common thread in its national cinema has always been a challenge for Australia as a nation. While there are a multitude of different kinds of Australian film, often seemingly unconnected, there are common themes which are used throughout many ‘typically Australian’ films. Two films in which this can be seen are ‘Lantana’ (Lawrence, 2001) and ‘Beautiful Kate’ (Ward, 2009). Both films deal with the theme of isolation - which is prevalent in a lot of Australian films. In particular many Australian films look at the way the outback influences a sense of isolation in humans, over the long and short term. However each film looks at these ideas in a different way. While …show more content…

Sonja is an example of a subversion of these themes. Despite the difficulty of her family situation, she seeks help in her therapy sessions with Valerie, and aims to improve her marriage. Leon, her husband, acts in the opposite way, by having an affair with Jane. Due to their loneliness, caused by Leon’s marital trouble and Jane’s recent separation, they turn to each other to seek comfort. However in their different situations, they react differently to the affair. Jane has reached a point of desperate loneliness, and is willing to do whatever she can to find a partner in her life. Leon realises that he is still in love with his wife Sonja, and is able to reach out to his family, and try to repair what has been damaged. He still has a family, and is in a less vulnerable situation than Jane. Jane continues to act out, seeking a lover to comfort her in her loneliness, and pushes away her friend Paula in order to do so. Due to the desperation she feels at being alone in the world, she continues to wreak havoc, indifferent to the

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