Somersault

Released Oct 28, 2005

1 hr. 45 min.

Drama

LGBTQ+

List

84%

70 Reviews

Tomatometer

71%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Australian teenager Heidi (Abbie Cornish) is left with little choice but to leave home after she's caught red-handed with her mother's boyfriend. With few options, Heidi ends up in Jindabyne, a tourist community. Upon meeting Joe (Sam Worthington) at a bar, she pursues a relationship with him and tries to find something resembling a normal home life. Heidi makes small strides by getting a job and finding a place to stay, but her relationship with Joe must overcome more than its share of hurdles.

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Critics Consensus

A poignant coming-of-age tale marked by a breakout lead performance from Abbie Cornish and a successful directorial debut from Cate Shortland.

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Audience Member

Makes you think and feel differently.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/15/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I kept thinking something really bad was about to happen right up to the very end of this movie, a foreboding sense of dread and uncertainty permeates throughout this film. That sense of dread and uncertainty is really just how the protagonist Heidi feels , she's done something bad so she is running away, but her feelings and emotions can't be hidden. Such a good movie , moody and stunningly beautiful to watch. I didn't know Sam Worthington was capable of a three dimensional character and I can see why this movie Catapulted Abbie Cornish to fame. Australian cinema at its best.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Cate Shortland's "Somersault" is an odd coming-of-age film, not because it bears sickening quirkiness but because the coming-of-age itself is delivered in a strange reverse - the protagonist in question thinks they're mature enough to become an adult prematurely, but soon begins to discover that the real world is a hell of a lot crueler than the impish teenage universe. Unforgiving and realistic, it is a no-holds-barred film that takes away any seductive sentimentality left behind by "Good Will Hunting" and trades it with an attitude that comes to the conclusion that no turn is a right turn. This time around, our Will Hunting is not a brilliant young man but a thoughtful young woman. Heidi (Abbie Cornish), sixteen and aimless, lives a restless life drizzled in meaningless sex and little responsibility - to her, a job at a gas station is a career, not a gateway to higher education. Though considerate and intelligent, she is reckless, her dangerous spontaneity coming to a head one morning when she is caught kissing her mother's boyfriend (by her mother, no less). With their relationship shattered, she heads to an unremarkable town to start life anew, calling a crappy apartment home, calling quick shifts at a nearby minute mart a way to bring home the bacon. Heidi exploits her promiscuousness as a way to take a break from her harsh reality, but she is caught off-guard when she meets Joe (Sam Worthington), a brooding young farmer. She is instantaneously attracted, hopeful that they can begin a relationship. But Joe is having problems of his own, the most prominent being his sexuality. The two's blossoming courtship can only end in disaster, and they both know it - yet with their mirroring inner conflicts, their flaws have the potential to heal. "Somersault" famously swept the Australian Film Institute Awards back in 2004, winning every trophy it was nominated for, and with its refreshing honesty and nuance, such a fact passes by without much skepticism. It's one of the most memorable coming-of-age films ever made, as few are so accepting that not every person's growing up has to be a likable tale meant to tickle one's bouts of nostalgia. Maybe "Sixteen Candles" is a more diverting watch, but sometimes, a film as bullshitless as "Somersault" is needed, direct and emotionally wrenching enough to speak on a higher level than pure escapism. Cornish and Worthington make for an unconventional couple that authentically feels like kids lost in the real world rather than attractive twenty-somethings playing kids lost in the real world. Shortland passionately paints on a gritty canvas. But "Somersault"'s biggest asset is Cornish, who has since gone on to appear in major Hollywood films ("Limitless", "RoboCop"). Only 20 during its conception, she carries a rare magnetism usually found in European art-house staples (a la Isild Le Besco, Brigitte Bardot) - her participating in even the simplest of an activity is enthralling, her face a map of expression impossible to decipher. Heidi is a girl without an ounce of control in her life; Cornish makes the unpredictability thrilling. It's a gift that "Somersault" doesn't have a problem turning the ordinary into something extraordinary either.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This movie plays out in a listless, dull sort of fashion. However, Heidi's story is a beautiful one. At times she seems so alive, then at other times, dead inside. I can relate. Very moving and worth seeing.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A captivating character piece with an involving central performance from Cornish. Sam Worthington is a weak point struggling with the depth of emotions required for the role.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

http://seedmagazine.com/content/article/buddhism_and_the_brain/

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

Full Review

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Cate Shortland

Director

Abbie Cornish

Heidi

Sam Worthington

Joe

Lynette Curran

Irene

Erik Thomson

Richard

Hollie Andrew

Bianca

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J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

This beautifully understated feature (2004) revolves around sex, but it’s neither erotic nor puritanical; its young characters are governed by their urges, but the experience itself seems as neutral and mysterious as sleep.

Jul 14, 2022

Full Review

Lisa Kennedy

Denver Post

Generous and authentic.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jul 14, 2006

Full Review

Kimberley Jones

Austin Chronicle

It is pretty, and it stays just left of the dial of darlingness, and Cornish's is the most goddamn, gosh-wow debut I've seen in years.

Rated: 3/5

May 27, 2006

Full Review

Dave Giannini

InSession Film

These characters have lived before the opening credits, and they will live past the fade to black. Where they go is up to them.

Feb 20, 2024

Full Review

Carlos Bonfil

La Jornada

[Director Cate] Shortland manages to express Heidi's inner journey in a very powerful way. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 3.5/5

Nov 9, 2020

Full Review

Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

The film is also a bold, visionary artistic statement from Cate Shortland.

Rated: 2.5/4.0

Sep 23, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

Australian teenager Heidi (Abbie Cornish) is left with little choice but to leave home after she's caught red-handed with her mother's boyfriend. With few options, Heidi ends up in Jindabyne, a tourist community. Upon meeting Joe (Sam Worthington) at a bar, she pursues a relationship with him and tries to find something resembling a normal home life. Heidi makes small strides by getting a job and finding a place to stay, but her relationship with Joe must overcome more than its share of hurdles.

Director: Cate Shortland
Executive Producer: Antony Anderson, Jan Chapman
Screenwriter: Cate Shortland
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Production Co: Red Carpet Productions Pty. Ltd
Genre: Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 28, 2005, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Apr 21, 2006
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 23, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $91.9K
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital