Somersault is a delicate and beautifully shot film that follows the journey of teenager Heidi (Abbie Cornish) as she stumbles her way through the loneliness that imposes her like a punishment for the mistakes which she's made at home, so taking a trip away from home Heidi moves to the colder climes of Jindabyne where she meets a boy called Joe (Sam Worthington) who she wants to hold hands with, more than anything else, but Joe finds it difficult to be able to form a relationship with Heidi, and so the two form this close bond with each other that is denied to blossom into the love it could aspire to be. Insecurities, mixed emotions, lust and the inexperience of meaningful sexual relationships - arghhh, a nightmare to tackle right? But Somersault deals with all these themes brilliantly, with a light step and well thought out characters - and this is what makes Somersault a brilliant coming of age movie - it is able to keep us on side with the curious and still often childlike Heidi, as she struggles to cope with the frequently painful journey that being a teenage girl can be. Heidi is given warmth and charm through the amazing performance from Abbie Cornish who really captures the fragility of Heidi's state of mind as we watch her do things we know and wish she wouldn't do.
The film is scored by Australian band Decoder Ring, and their dreamy soundscape is a perfect accompaniment for the wide-eyed Heidi as we watch her make self discoveries, both good and bad.
The setting of Jindabyne - a cold Australian ski-resort town - is an excellent choice of location for this movie, as the bite of the atmosphere acts like a reflection of the events happening. The warmth between Heidi and Joe is stalled by the cool attitude that pervades Joe, his inability to give Heidi a real relationship because of his own issues (sexual confusion, discomfort in showing affection, pressure from his peers etc). As an audience we will Heidi and Joe to work, but ultimately we know their relationship is doomed because they just haven't learnt all the lessons they need yet, about themselves, to give their relationship a decent chance of working - another sad but accurate depiction of teenage strife!
In short Somersault is a beautiful piece of cinema, and a brave movie that doesn't pare down the pain and upset that teenage confusion can bring, and it is yet another Australian gem of a movie - bravo Cate Shortland, an excellent debut! (Try Little Fish and Candy too, for more awesome examples of excellent Australian cinema).
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