The big winner at the Australian Film Institute Awards last year, Somersault is an artfully made coming of age drama that neatly sidesteps the inherent cliches of the genre. Impressive newcomer Abbie Cornish plays Heidi, a young woman who hasn't quite come to terms with her emerging sexuality. Unable to differentiate between sex and love, her wayward attitude leads her on a direct collision course with her feckless mother. After running away from home, Heidi heads off to an off-season skiing resort where she tries to find a job and ultimately, herself. It's in this bleak environment that she encounters the angry Joe (Sam Worthington), a local farmer's son whose inability to articulate his own emotions and frustrations appears to be leading him on a path of self-destruction.
Enigmatic and thoughtful, Somersault is directed with an understated intelligence by its writer Cate Shortland whose ability belies her relative inexperience. A vivid-looking picture swathed in tones of cool blue, Shortland sensitively fleshes out the complex relationships without ever having to resort to glib stereotypes or cheapening the quandary of her characters. The direction may be marvellous, but a lot is asked of the actors. Cornish infuses Heidi with an all-too-rare and believable fragility, while Worthington's always-on-edge performance is restless without ever being too pushy. It's perhaps a little too bleak to become a mainstream crossover success, but Somersault is provocative, intelligent drama that deserves a wide audience.
