Somersault (2004)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Cate Shortland

Writer:

Cate Shortland (written by)

Release Date:

16 September 2004 (Australia)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Love can turn you upside down.

Plot:

New experiences help a young girl learn the differences between sex and love.

Plot Keywords:

Sex | Scrapbook | Underwear | Trampoline | Going Home

Awards:

40 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

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)

Also Known As:

More Than Scarlet (Australia) (working title)

Runtime:

106 min | Germany:99 min (TV version)

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Fujicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Switzerland:16 (canton of Zurich) | USA:Not Rated | Portugal:M/16 | New Zealand:R16 | Australia:MA | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:16 | Singapore:M18 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud)

Filming Locations:

Australia

Company:

Red Carpet Productions

Trivia:

Was originally going to be filmed predominantly in and around Canberra and nearby Lake George, but the ongoing drought on Australia's eastern seaboard meant that the lake was totally dry. Being that a body of water is a focal point for the film, the setting was changed to Jindabyne in the Snowy Mountains, where the drought's effects were not as severe.

Soundtrack:

My Coo Ca Choo

Good intentions not enough

A couple of good young actors, a nicely-photographed and reasonably original setting, and the usual soupcon of taxpayers' folding stuff aren't enough to make this one work. The plot, at least, is not predictable, as it goes nowhere in particular - nowhere that I was much interested in going, anyway.

The main characters are Heidi, a dysfunctional adolescent with the IQ of a potplant and rather limited sexual discrimination, and her love interest (if that's not too strong a word) Joe, a well-off farmer's son handicapped by that scourge of the Anglo-Saxon male, a distressing inability to articulate his feelings. He is, however, dark, good-looking and, so far as such things can be judged by another Anglo-Saxon male, sensitive.

Can Joe be saved from in articulation by a good woman? (Are there any in sight?) Can Heidi be saved from her self-destructive behaviour patterns? (Is there a therapist in the house?)

Do we care?

There are other characters, of course. Joe has a boofhead mate (seemingly no smarter than Heidi, an achievement of sorts) who hangs around with other boofheads and their bitchy girlfriends. There's also an Aboriginal family (close-knit and good-hearted, and with a handicapped child to boot); a gay farmer (handsome, sensitive and intelligent); a tragic widow (with heart of gold); and a chorus of young males (drunken, uncouth and insensitive). But no stereotypes, of course. This is an Australian film, after all.