SOMERSAULT
Screening at Serge Constantin Theatre, Vacoas
Monday 19 February 2007 from 7:30 PM
Synopsis
Heidi (Abbie Cornish) is just 16, but her life isn't sweet - and she has been kissed. In fact, she's been doing the kissing, with her mum's (Olivia Pigeot) no-hoper boyfriend. The kiss becomes something of a kiss of death for the mother-daughter relationship right then, and Heidi runs away from their Canberra low-rent home, catching a bus to Jindabyne at the foot of the resort-driven mountains. She is befriended by the motel keeper (Lynette Curran) whose son's mini-flat is empty - while he's in jail. Desperate not to be alone, she uses her newfound, sexually awakened body to make contact with the world. Well, men...well, boys, actually. She takes a shine to one young man who's different, though, Joe (Sam Worthington), the son of a local farmer and a tad more worthwhile than the rest. They are tentatively drawn to each other in a complex journey that is filled with misunderstandings and painful realisations. But the process does help them understand the need for real emotional attachment.
Review
Courtesy of Louise Keller (www.urbancinefile.com.au)
There's something magical about the look and feel of Cate Shortland's debut drama Somersault, as it captures the icy cold chill of a young girl's emotional demons. Shortland uses colours and music to create an emotional density, while the wintry Jindabyne settings offer a sense of remoteness. Somersault is a complex film about concealed emotions. Emotions that are churning, weeping, waiting to be discovered.
Shortland's script often feels painfully honest; her protagonist Heidi is emotionally confused, using promiscuity as a band aid. She is drawn to the intimacies of sex mostly to avoid being alone. Seemingly oblivious to the consequences, Heidi is living for the moment, her sexuality her only asset.
At times reminiscent of a young Nicole Kidman, Abbie Cornish gives a remarkable performance that is both internal, yet communicative. Epitomising a little girl lost, Cornish's Heidi is provocative, playful, moody and defiant. Living in her own isolated world, she dips into past memories through her treasured book of collages and photos. When she meets Sam Worthington's Joe, there is an instant connection, but Joe's emotions are wound up like a tight coil. Worthington has great charisma and their on screen relationship ignites like an electric current. But emotionally, they are both at a loss, and the scene in which Heidi swallows a bowl of hot chillies in the local Chinese restaurant, is a powerful one, using the shock self-destructive tactics as an act of self-loathing.
All the relationships are nicely developed and evolve naturally. It feels real when Heidi tells Bianca, her co-worker at the BP servo, she feels sure she does not want her to get the job. It is subsequently rather touching when Bianca includes and involves Heidi in her family gatherings. But nothing is simple. The entire cast is excellent with Lynnette Curran as Heidi's sympathetic landlady and Olivia Pigeot in a small, but important role as her mother.
The great strength of Somersault is its ability to draw us into the reality of its characters. While we may not always like them, we understand them and their insecurities, and we care what happens to them. Shortland's assured direction confidently paints bold strokes onto its emotional canvass. It's a thought provoking film whose journey is often confronting and ultimately satisfying.
Production Information
Director: Cate Shortland
Producers: Jan Chapman, Anthony Anderson
Writer: Cate Shortland
Cast: Abby Cornish, Sam Worthington, Lynette Curran
Duration: 106 min
Genre: Drama
Original Australian Theatrical Censorship Rating: M
Screen Ratio: Wide screen 1:1.85
Selected Awards
- 2004 Australian Cinematographers Society Award of Distinction
- 2004 Australian Film Institute award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
- 2004 Australian Film Institute award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
- 2004 Australian Film Institute award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
- 2004 Australian Film Institute award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
- 2004 Australian Film Institute award for Best Cinematography
- 2004 Australian Film Institute award for Best Costume Design
- 2004 Australian Film Institute award for Best Direction
- 2004 Australian Film Institute award for Best Editing
- 2004 Australian Film Institute award for Best Film
- 2004 Australian Film Institute award for Best Original Music Score
- 2004 Australian Film Institute award for Best Production Design
- 2004 Australian Film Institute award for Best Original Screenplay
- 2004 Australian Film Institute award for Best Sound
- 2005 Australian Screen Director's Award Best Direction of First Feature Film
- 2004 Film Critics Circle of Australian award for Best Actor - female
- 2004 Film Critics Circle of Australian award for Best Cinematographer
- 2004 Film Critics Circle of Australian award for Best Director and Film
Australian Film Festival 2007 proudly sponsored by:
- Australian Film Commission
- Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
- The Ministry of Arts and Culture
- The Mauritius Film Development Corporation
- Air Mauritius
- IDP Education
- La Sentinelle
- Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation
- Scott & Co Ltd
- Urban Cinefile