Somersault

Australia

2004

102 Min

Color

1.85:1

English

Currently 3.4/5 Stars.
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CAST Abbie Cornish, Sam Worthington, Lynette Curran, Erik Thomson, Nathaniel Dean, Hollie Andrew, Leah Purcell, Olivia Pigeot, Damian de Montemas, Blake Pittman, Toby Schmitz, Henry Nixon

SOUND Sam Petty

Cannes (Un Certain Regard), Toronto, Locarno, AFI FEST (International Competition), Karlovy Vary, Edinburgh, Melbourne, SXSW, Cine//B (Australia: Imperfect Paradise)

Synopsis

Set at the foot of the Australian ski fields, Somersault is the story of a young girl’s sensory journey through which she learns the true meaning of love, family and friendship. Living with her mother, sixteen year old Heidi (Abbie Cornish) looks to short-lived sexual encounters for the physical and emotional contact she craves.

Fleeing Canberra for Jindabyne, she meets Joe (Sam Worthington), the son of a wealthy local farmer that leads to a developing romance in all its complexity. Joe’s relationship with Heidi challenges his ideas of sexuality, class and his future. Illuminated by the lives of others and the power of forgiveness, Heidi discovers she is much more than she had realized.

Somersault marks the important arrival of a gifted writer and director and a new voice in Australian filmmaking.

Director

Cate Shortland

Cate Shortland is an Australian writer and director of film and television.

She was born 10 August 1968 in Temora, New South Wales. She graduated from the Australian Film, Television and Radio School, where she received the Southern Star Award for most promising student.

She has created several award winning short films: Strap on Olympia (1995); Pentuphouse (1998); Flower Girl (2000); and Joy (2000)

Cate spent three years directing episodes of the Network Ten television series, The Secret Life of Us.

In 2004 she released her debut feature length film, Somersault (2004), which was entered in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.

Her second feature, Lore, had its Australian premiere at the 2012 Sydney Film Festival. It won at the Locarno International Film Festival in August 2012 the Prix du Public UBS. In november the film won the Bronze Horse for best film at the Stockholm International Film Festival. The film was selected… read more

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Howard Orr

18Apr13

A film for anyone who feels like they live in a world that just doesn't give a damn about them.

COMMON_GORE

13Feb13

HEIDI IS MAYBE THE MOST FAIRLY DEPICTED CHARACTER W/ ASPERGER'S AFTER TYRANNOSAUR'S JOSEPH

nargs

9Dec12

Best Australian film I have seen in a long time. Really enjoyed Decoder Ring doing the score for the film.

Lidia Lemon likes this

antuerius

19Oct11

At the risk of insensitivity, or failed sentiment, I am weary of class alienation written across the adolescent white slaver market. Conditions are blinded by polite camera treatments and soundtrack driven kindness in nature. The object of revolt gets sold off to the aristocracy of appearances. Market emotion goes cheap in colonial status quo, and notional character bases out in mediocrity.

Slowart and 2 others like this

kelawer, Neither/Nor