“Lantana” and the aussie male
August 9th, 2006
Watched “Lantana” (for the second time) last night with my two favourite girls (it’s alright - one of them was my sister), and was really just struck by a number of the scenes in the film. I’m not sure what it is at the moment, but I seem to keep seeing things in movies that relate to “being a man”. Anthonly LaPaglia is better in this film than in anything else I’ve seen him in, and just typifies the Aussie male culture. The scene he shares with Glenn Robbins in the urinal (aside from the fact that I’m not convinced you ever talk with other men in a urinal) is as powerful a statement about being a man in this culture (and specifically the culture of the generation one rung above me).
LaPaglia: He starts to cry.
Robbins: What for?
l: I don’t know. What makes a man cry like that?
R: Yeah, a lot of things. So what did you do?
L: I just held him.I just stood there and I held him. But the whole time I was thinking, “You f***ing weak prick, pull yourself together.”
R: Don’t you want to cry sometimes?
L: Yeah, but… you don’t, do you?
In a funny way that describes some of my struggle to find my identity as an Australian man in exactly “that” culture. Because in this picture I am the guy who just bursts into tears and doesn’t know how to handle it. And I hear the thoughts that want to call that being a weak prick. So working out how much of that is being healthily in touch with your own emotions, and where you need to slap yourself out of it and just “be a man” is a tough line to draw.
Certainly don’t want to be where LaPaglia in this film is though…
August 9th, 2006 at 6:17 pm
What it is to be a man, or a woman for that matter. Sounds to me like you are in touch with your emotions if you allow yourself to cry. I think tears give expression to and bring release from tension, grief, frustration, anger or whatever, on both a physiological and emotional level. I don’t think it is intrinsically to do with manhood or womanhood, strength or weakness - the fact that the phenomenon of crying is perceived that way is more indicative of cultural and social interpretations. In terms of seeing it as weakness - how many images in the bible are there of God weeping over his people?
August 9th, 2006 at 7:37 pm
lantana was a very… disturbing and yet very intruiging aussie film. and i only watched the latter half of it. i should really watch all of it.
geoffie. you are cool just as yourself. be a pioneer for the guys who want to cry.