IMDb > Somersault (2004)
Somersault
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Somersault (2004) More at IMDbPro »

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Somersault (2004) -- New experiences help a young girl learn the differences between sex and love.
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Overview

User Rating:
6.8/10   2,831 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 8% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Cate Shortland
Writer:
Cate Shortland (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Somersault on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
16 September 2004 (Australia) more
Genre:
Drama | Romance more
Tagline:
Love can turn you upside down.
Plot:
New experiences help a young girl learn the differences between sex and love. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
40 wins & 12 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(20 articles)
Wortho the wait?
 (From FilmInk.com.au. 2 November 2009, 5:17 PM, PST)

tMF Spotlight: Sam Worthington takes the lead + the buzz on Clash of the Titans!
 (From The Movie Fanatic. 6 October 2009, 1:52 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
The pain of young love, complete with an anti-male feminist slant more (61 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Abbie Cornish ... Heidi

Damian de Montemas ... Adam
Olivia Pigeot ... Nicole

Alex Babic ... Brian the barman
Elizabeth Muntar ... Ticket Vendor
Justin Martin ... Guy
Ben Tate ... Sean
Joshua Phillips ... Josh

Sam Worthington ... Joe
Nathaniel Dean ... Stuart

Paul Gleeson ... Roy
Bruce Ross ... Staring Man
Lynette Curran ... Irene
John Sheerin ... Pat
Anne-Louise Lambert ... Martha (as Anne Louise Lambert)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
More Than Scarlet (Australia) (working title)
more
Runtime:
106 min | Germany:99 min (TV version)
Country:
Australia
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Fujicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby Digital
Filming Locations:
Australia more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Took 7 years to make. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: When Joe pours hot water onto the icy windscreen of his car, no steam appears. more
Soundtrack:
Higher Higher more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
58 out of 68 people found the following comment useful.
The pain of young love, complete with an anti-male feminist slant, 13 May 2005
Author: SteveThomp from Victoria, Australia

Those who haven't understood Somersault's main themes or appreciated it as a perceptive piece of film-making may well be afflicted with the same delusional shortcomings of its characters: an inability to connect with others, or to have them connect with you. I've not seen a film that condenses and represents the small-town Australian mindset so well, presenting it through a minimalist script that relies on good acting, and using a paradoxical setting (cold, bleak and snowy Jindabyne rather than a stereotypical Australian locale). Sure there's little in the way of plot because this is gritty realism, not fanciful escapism; this is a film to get you thinking, not sitting boggle-eyed at a pageant of movement and dialog.

The central theme of Somersault is young males, females and how they dance around each other in the search for intimacy, almost always failing and causing each other enormous pain in the process. Men come out of this depiction far worse, as this is undoubtedly a feminist portrayal of the gender wars. The male characters have equal portions of tragedy, hurtful indifference and stupidity: Joe, Heidi's love interest, simply cannot share intimate moments, communicate his feelings or even admit that he has them; he can have plenty of sex, of course, but emotion seems beyond him. When he finally does encounter a moment of pause about his relationship with Heidi, he propositions the local homosexual in the mistaken belief that this 'weakness' might mean he is gay. The other male figure presented are Heidi's mother's lecherous boyfriend, various tourist-types solely on the lookout for sex, and two fathers, one who is wooden and emotionless, the other a manipulative liar ... hardly an appealing mob.

Heidi, however, is an engaging character whose naive attempts to win affection are painful. At once child-like and innocent yet womanly and sexual, her exploitation, isolation and rejection are bitter and tragic; like most teenagers she struggles to learn from her mistakes and merely rebounds to the next. A scene in a Chinese restaurant where she swallows an entire bowl of chilies is symbolic of the self-torture that young women often force themselves to endure in failing relationships. Strongly acted by Abbie Cornish, Heidi's eventual redemption is not unpredictable but nor is it overplayed or overemphasized ... and when it does come it seems welcome, even happy. Somersault plays like one long life-lesson, though its themes and implications are timeless and universal for all young people. A well-crafted film whose only fault is a tendency to overstate its men-as-villains and women-as-victims premise.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Somersault (2004)
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My Thoughts...SPOLIERS!! ! SPOLIERS!!! Elizabeth02
Why 'somersault' is chosen for the title? saeed_daruki
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food poisoning? stomasz
the last few moments with joe historyasheseesit
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