Review of Somersault

Introduction

There was plenty of positive fuss over this film when it was released in Australia.

Unusual in a way as this was a debut feature from writer/director Cate Shortland who had previously produced only a handful of film shorts (one of which is included on this disc as a bonus feature). In fact this film became the first ever to win all thirteen Australian Film Institute cinema awards.

Sixteen-year-old Heidi (Abbie Cornish) tales a fancy to her Mother`s tattooed boyfriend, so when she leaves for work she sneaks into his bedroom and into his arms. Only her Mother returns to collect something and a huge argument ensues. As a result, Heidi takes off, heading for the snow in Jindabyne, New South Wales where a boy she met in a fleeting dalliance can be found. When she arrives, she calls him but he denies all knowledge of their encounter so she is left to fend for herself using just her wits and her feminine charms.

But Heidi is still in the early stages of using her sexuality to get what she wants and her immaturity shows as she misjudges (again and again) the complicated reactions that her forwardness brings from the various men/boys she encounters.

Following a one-night stand with a tourist, Heidi has a one-night stand with Joe (Sam Worthington) and realises that, despite his frostiness, that she has a real soft spot for him.

After a tough few days, Irene (Lynette Curran), a motel owner, lets her stay in what was Irene`s son`s room, as he`s enjoying a brief stay in prison for crimes left un-described.

Her relationship with both Joe and others is less than perfect, and she suffers a series of let downs culminating in a demeaning drunken encounter with two chancing tourists who are prepared to take advantage of her complete childlike vulnerability. (Perhaps the most disturbing and difficult part of the whole movie).

I guess this is loosely a `coming of age` movie and we certainly see Heidi as woman and child, naked and promiscuous at one moment, and singing a nursery rhyme the next.

Video

Perfectly reproduced in wide-screen 2.35:1 and often exquisite, there are wonderful landscapes mixed with extreme close-ups of eyes and faces, as well as pull-focus shots reflecting Heidi`s distant gaze through windows etc. Beautiful.

Audio

This has a really amazingly haunting score (think `Lantana`, another Aussie picture) though often uses silence to great effect too. There`s even a little light relief Alvin Stardust`s "My Coo-Ca Choo" too which works better than you might imagine!

It`s all beautifully reproduced here.

Features

Good golly- there are enough features on this disc to write a thesis on the movie! It`s the very definition of `feature-rich`.

There`s a long trailer, which makes the movie seem to be some kind of rip-roaring thriller (which it most definitely isn`t).

Then there`s a short (20 minute) movie by Shortland called `Flowergirl` which is a curious movie about a group of Japanese youths living in Oz. It opens with some of the nastiest scenes of raw meat being disposed of that I`ve seen in a while!

There are also a series of deleted scenes which can be viewed with / without Director`s commentary. There`s also a text & picture based `advert` for the OST which is probably well worth getting. The few pieces I noticed were very evocative indeed.

Then there are a couple of featurettes which, at over 20 minutes apiece, almost warranted their own making of the making of featurettes featurettes - if you get my meaning!

Inside The Snowdome: Making Somersault contains valuable interviews with director Cate Shortland, with illustrative scenes from the movie.

Shooting Somersault: on location with cinematographer Robert Humphreys ACS is fascinating. I`d noticed that Heidi is often shot with blue light to emphasise her fragile and distanced character, whilst other people are shot with warmer light, and it`s good to hear it from the horse`s mouth that this was all intentional.

Conclusion

This was a huge success in its native Australia when it was released, mopping up a record breaking thirteen Australian Film Institute cinema awards.

So what was all the fuss about? Well, it`s hard to tell. For me this film was substantially less effective than the sum of its parts.

Certainly Robert Humphrey`s cinematography is frequently breathtaking - and not only because of the wonderful scenery. The wonderful bluish hues, and twilight golden yellows added an aching sense of futility entirely in keeping with the poetics of the film.

But the story was just so damned thankless. I found the film hard work - just relentless let downs and disappointments. I guess, despite the sublime brilliance of the performances, the beautiful cinematography and almost perfect score, I couldn`t figure out what it was all for. What had I learned? What messages were buried in this deep portrayal of misguided adolescence and sexuality? And why didn`t I feel any great empathy or sympathy for any of the leading characters?

Worth a look - but rent it first. It`s not a feel-good movie, but it`s certainly a well-crafted one.