Avaliações de usuários

Although slow to start I found I became increasingly involved in the story (young girl finding out what's appropriate in life and love) as the characters lives unfolded. By the end I was totally hooked. There might have been an attempt to show too many facets of the Australian character in this movie, but, in the end I didn't mind because the characterizations were so good. Rare to find in any movie. Was also nice to enjoy some good acting from unknown faces and excellent cinematography - the film had a great look - pale blue/white and red, and good editing. Don't be put off by the negative comments in other reviews, I know I shouldn't say this, but I think they've missed the point :)

So often, Australian films that make it to America are set either in a large city (usually Sydney), the outback (think "Crocodile Dundee " -- if you must) or the deep interior, a la "Rabbit Proof Fence" -- which films always seem to manage to work Ayers Rock in. It comes as a mild surprise, then, to see the bulk of this film set in an alpine-type ski resort burg. The lead performances, by Sam Worthington and especially by Abbie Cornish (here playing, according to the write-up, 16 years old, although I don't remember an exact age being mentioned in the film; I suspect in real life Ms. Cornish may be older than that, but she plays the age most convincingly in any case) are absolutely top-notch; Ms. Cornish's might be said to be award-worthy. The story unfolds at a leisurely pace, and yet there is an underlying tension within the story that works perfectly. Of the mere four films I had the time and money to see at this year's Toronto Film Festival, this was my hands-down favorite.

Somersault underlines a girl's desire of not wanting to be alone. The main character, Heidi, may appear to be flirtatious toward guys; yet what she wants is really to have a company. I guess her characteristics are derived from her mother, Nicole. Thus this is one interesting point of view to look at: about the parallelism of stories between the mother and the daughter. From the short appearance of Nicole, I believe she has her own story of not wanting to be alone. Else, where would Heidi come from? In terms of storyline, I see the simple third act form; beginning, middle, end. Heidi has a journey, and after all the troubles, she manages to resolve with her problems. Heidi's diary might help the audience to know Heidi's back-story. I like how clever the dialog between Heidi and her 'boyfriend' is constructed. In terms of technicalities, the use of landscape and natural elements helps the audience to engage with the story. The snow, the "tears" caused by using hot water to crack the snow on the car's windscreen, the red color… (I am not going to spoil the film here =) ). The mood of the film is very blue from the very beginning; we even see a blue laundry basket! When the resolution is made, though, the light brightens… very nice indeed. "It's good that we met", Somersault.

I saw a screening of this in New York City in late March, and I loved it. I thought about this movie for many days afterward, and it is one of the best films I've seen all year. It is scheduled for an October release.

This was a beautiful, poetic film- one that touched me both on an artistic level and a deeply personal level. Although I am forty-five now, the movie took me on a vivid journey back to my own adolescence, and the truth that Ms. Shortland captured about "Heidi," and the relationship between "Heidi" and "Joe" was breathtakingly realistic.

Somewhere during my viewing, I realized I was watching one those rare works of art which so startlingly and accurately paint a piece of the human experience that is both reflective of its time and place and destined to transcend them. "Heidi's" red gloves become the self-protective coat of armor to an Aussie teen-aged a girl of the twenty-first century the way "Holden's" red hunting cap served the same purpose to the confused, distraught adolescent of 1940's New York City.

The acting is superb, and there is not a false note anywhere to be found in any of the elements of this film.

There is a moment in Cate Shortland's "Somersault" where Joe (Sam Worthington), a surly and emotionally closed-off young man confused over the feelings he has for his kind-of girlfriend Heidi (Abbie Cornish), shows up at the home of an openly gay acquaintance of his mother's and—after downing several shots and spilling his guts to the older man—follows him into the hallway and makes an awkward pass at him by planting a drunken kiss on him. It's a surprising twist in both Joe's development as a character and the movie itself, but it's just one of several similarly unexpected--and unexplained--moments that define Shortland's oddly compelling drama about sexual coming-of-age. Joe is not the main character, nor does the film ever revisit his attempt at same-sex experimentation, and it's that vague attention to detail that is the most frustrating aspect of the movie. The story actually belongs to Heidi, an evidently emotionally troubled teenager with no concept of propriety who, for no apparent reason, decides to make a pass at her mother's hunky boyfriend. When mom comes home and catches the two kissing, she freaks, and Heidi runs away to a neighboring town. There, she shacks up in the small flat of an empathetic motel owner, gets a job at the local BP service station, and has sex with a string of guys. It is Joe, however, that most captivates her, and their awkward and strained attempts at forging a relationship are some of the most authentic captured on celluloid. Both of them are plagued by troubles that are never explored (apparently, Heidi once tried to commit suicide, as is evidenced by the scars on her wrists), but as they begin to open up to each other, the movie becomes more fascinating and oddly romantic. Shortland's direction is as languid as her ambling script (a bit more back story on the characters would have made them more three- dimensional), but her style is effective nonetheless, providing a showcase for the talents of both Worthington and Cornish, two young Aussie up-and-comers who appear to have big futures ahead of them. Grade: B.--Originally published in IN Los Angeles Magazine.

I saw this film this weekend at a film festival in Austin, Texas, without having heard anything about it ahead of time, and without reading any reviews. I suspect that going in to the theater without any expectations made it more enjoyable to watch.

The cinematography was excellent, and the acting was quite strong. The script was a bit weak, but did not get in the way of the film being engaging and interesting. The story is a bit ethereal at times, by design I think, and flows gradually as the scenes change.

I'd recommend it, especially for anyone who is comfortable with unconventional scripts.

I'm guessing that this website is generally pro Sommersault. Or at least the ten or so first posts that I have read. I will therefore try and be clear and dispassionate in my objections and praises for the film.

It's a lovely simple story in some respects. The opening sequence is very promising (we start with something epic and shattering -- and the cinematography here feels more restrained) but as we move into the mountain sequences there tends to be a lack of restraint in the choices made by the director/DP/art director.

For example, the overly codified red gloves, goggles -- are more reminiscent of an advertisement or a video clip than the subtlety required in rendering the poetry of this story.

There are also some other story elements that feel visually indulgent and unnecessary. For example: the shot of her diary -- when did we see this diary being used / what relevance does this have to the story or character when it feels out of keeping for a girl who is going through some kind of transgressive sexual journey. It feels more kin to a girl who is top of her class at school. We don't need to make her into an artist to care for her.

Also -- the hose scene. Perhaps it's the way they set it up, but to me it felt like an unnecessary visual gimmick -- it should have been motivated by the character.

The performances in general are really excellent.

Although I do believe that the "touch" metaphor is handled with too much force -- IE slowed down close-ups etc take the beauty away from these moments feeling organic to the character.

Politically, I question the over abundance of liminal characters (for example -- it felt terribly PC to have a middle aged gay man turn down this hot young man, as well as the indigenous family with aspergers) but despite these conceits interesting interactions still emerge. I was more curious about the Lynne Curran character -- the relationship with the girl was really unexplored and I think this 'surrogate' mother daughter relationship would have strengthened the intensity of the story and highlighted the problems she has with authority figures in general (and especially 'mother' figures vis a vis her own developing sexuality).

This film is not a classic nor is it completely awful. It is great for a first feature although more interesting as a fish out of water Australian film with extremely high production values -- than as the work of an auteur with something different to say.

See this film to see fine young actors doing good work.

See this film to see beautiful cinematography. The credits alone are worth a look.

Unfortunately, however, these are let down by a poorly constructed script, wooden dialog, and storytelling laden with clichés. These range from gratuitous scenes -- Heidi following Joe outside, naked; Joe's gay kiss... to characters telling each other things that we should be seeing -- "You don't know what you want!" or "You're afraid to get close to someone!"... to film school visual clichés -- Heidi under the bathwater, finally bursting up for air; Heidi wandering moodily through the landscape.

By the time we were treated for the seventh time to Heidi wandering moodily through the landscape, I was ready to burst out of the theatre, gasping for air.

A beautifully filmed story, the two film comparisons that come to mind are The Virgin Suicides and Morvern Callar. All of these films feature young girls, coping with circumstances that throw them into a spiral - an internal spiral - filmed with grace, attention to detail and a good ear for the soundtrack. There are difficult moments here, where I found myself saying 'Don't do it, don't do it', but she does because inexperience and lack of confidence make for poor choices. As soon as you can place yourself in her shoes, you will find this film moving, and very clearly (and poetically) observed. I recommend this film very highly, both for its clean and original voice - and very Australian voice - and the sympathy we feel for its very real lead characters.

I saw this film at the Sydney Film Festival, and thought it was a decent film. I was impressed by two things - the cinematography of Robert Humphries and the acting performance by Abby Cornish.

Firstly, Humphries' cinematography is visually breathtaking. His hand-held work is probably the best I've seen from both him (I've seen Mullet, Walking on Water and Delivery Day), and from any cinematographer in Australia for the past year. It's very controlled - yet still moving. The colours of Jindabyne are reflected in deep reds and blues - and is certainly unique to Australian film.

Secondly, Abby Cornish's performance is unrestrained. She is certainly an actress of the future I believe, and I was impressed overall with her work in this film. She has a natural "animalistic" quality on screen which is very seductive to watch.

Overall, this is a decent film. It's probably not as powerful and moving as The Finished People or Lantana, but much better than Japanese Story and the whole swag of Australian comedies. There are several story strands that are too neatly resolved which lets it down, but overall it's worth watching.

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.

I admit that I'm a film coward-domestic and personal interaction can put me on the edge and yesterday afternoon I was on the edge for the entire length of this movie. That is not to say that the film was in any way poorly made or grade B-it was just the opposite. Somersault was a brilliantly crafted, directed and acted film and it deserves a huge audience around the world. It is nothing a Hollywood film is: no physical violence [but much mental violence and disorder], no crime, no lame sappy ending, no laboratory special effects-in short a real film about real people living real lives.

The GenXers do it differently than my generation did but that is to be expected-I just found Cate Shortland's look into their lives a little edgy for someone further down the age track like me. I admired greatly the acting as well as the cinematography of the film; the direction was superb as Ms. Shortland spliced together the fragmentation of the lives of the principle characters. Those lives were highly disjointed but that is probably a generational comment because the people portrayed seemed less upset about their situations than I felt about them.

The film deserves all the accolades it is receiving-make every effort to see it.

Somersault is a nice little movie, low on budget, high on little directorial ideas and camera work. It tells the story of Heidi, who after being caught with her mum's boyfriend is thrown out to try and find peace within herself. Her journey takes her through bars, booze, bad sex and emotions that only a disillusioned young girl might have. Along the way she gets caught up in teen situations involving love and loss, all heightened by the fact she's facing them alone (when she secretly wants her mummy). There are touching elements to this film like Heidi's relationship with landlady of the local motel, who mothers Heidi after losing her son to prison. The only character not explored as much as I'd like is that of the main guy (see I cant even remember his name!) he smolders on screen with intensity like his stomach is on fire. He contains so much hidden aggression that at any point you wonder if he'll kick off. He doesn't he tries bisexuality (also not explored) and cries a lot. By the end of this film I was really wanting something to happen, Heidi to commit suicide, her bloke to go mental crazy but nothing. Maybe this was the films intension but ultimately it left me wanting something deeper and more substantial.

I started watching the film, just by chance.... And after only a few minutes, I kept saying "Wow..... This must have been written by a woman!! This could ONLY have been written by a woman!!" LOL :-))))

I watched the whole film and only in the end I confirmed what I already knew: "Written & Directed by Cate Shortland" :-)))

I had never heard of this writer/director before, but I enjoyed the film... :-)

And it is very refreshing knowing there are a few women out there doing films from a rather... female perspective. And at the same time (in my opinion) beautifully realistic.

I found the film beautiful! And I would like to say to Cate Shortland:

Congratulations. Keep up with the good work :-)

Becca (Portugal)

I must confess some bias, being a massive fan of the Snowy area :) This film I can see not appealing to those who have never been to the Cooma/Jindabyne area of NSW. They will have no point of reference. For those who have however, this film is simply brilliant. I have stayed at the motel Heidi stayed at. I have visited friends with houses like Joes. The mood/feeling of Heidi around the edges of Lake Jindabyne are uncanny. There is a feeling down there I have not had anywhere else in Australia. A barren, cold feeling that is at once breathtaking and heartbreaking.

Objectively, one could indeed see this movie being light on concerning the plot. In my mind and experiences though, I have never been so engrossed. Heidi and Joes relationship is so tantalising. So possible. It might seem to some as not realistic, but it really is. This is how many, many Australians express themselves ( on a good day! ) It is pure, and wonderful, and simply amazing and I don't care that this may have been the only film close to warranting attention in 2004. It is regardless completely brilliant, and I for one will be holding it close to my heart for a long long time to come.

Australian cinema very rarely gets this close to actual emotion, and this film hits it again and again. Some of it may be contrived or stereotypical, but overall it really is a gem hidden amongst 21st century Australian cinema pap. Enjoy it please :)

Fabulous cinematography in this lyrical tale of a young girl kicked out after making a pass at her mother's boyfriend. The scenes flow into each other with striking use of gentle colour. Our central character is - what we would say in Britain anyway - 'taken advantage of' by several young men (whose idea of a chat up line might be "well, take your top off then . ..") Such gender political incorrectness (or simple male loutishness) goes by in our story without any narrative comment. It had to be an Australian film - I have seen such Neolithic attitudes, sadly, in that beautiful country more than anywhere else in the world. The director (Cate Shortland) didn't see any problem. When I asked her about the direction of Australian filmmaking, that used to be experimental and controversial - and now makes international news largely for its right-wing censoring of sex and nudity by such internationally acclaimed filmmakers as Catherine Breillat - she replied that it is politically difficult to do anything in Australia at the moment as the leader of the country is practically a right-wing disciple of Margaret Thatcher. And politicians wonder why so many artists have leftists tendencies . . .

Beyond the aesthetically beautiful nature of this movie lies a story that is compelling in its realistic portrayal of young love and loneliness. The story moves along slowly, but I felt that this only added to the credibility of the plot, as most life situations aren't jam-packed with intense drama. The characters are flawed and complex - the main character Heidi is at once naive and youthful, and grown-up and savvy. The story details are slowly inserted, sometimes just through imagery - leaving the viewer to assume much of the back story - the movie does not feel contrived because you aren't being told every small detail and how the director wants you to judge each character. I would highly recommend this movie to anyone that enjoys artistic camera angles, realistic characters and situations, and doesn't mind slowing down to enjoy a good story.

I choose my movie-going on the basis of critical reviews: rarely am I let down. This was one of those occasions, for rarely have I sat through such an exercise in tedium.

Other viewers have outlined the paper thin story of a vacuous young lady who runs away from home after making a pass at her mother's boyfriend. But, although it has been described as "Australian incorrectness", I would suggest it is just the opposite: a feminist shot at supposed male shallowness, per medium of a few stereotypes. This is accompanied by the parallel proposition that the "masculine" types probably are closet gays.

Much has been made of the lyrical photography of the landscape around Jindabyne. The camera panning slowly through long lingering landscapes does indeed extend the movie considerably, but this is supposedly a drama, not a documentary. Let's have one or the other!

Well, that doesn't leave much. Somehow I lasted the distance, suffering from a mixture of irritation at the slightness of the story and tedium at the way it was presented. Profundity? Maybe we were given the long lingering (etc) so that we could meditate on why we were there: I know I did.

Avoid!

SOMERSAULT is a well handled treatment of a young 16 year old girl's journey through the discovery of her own sexuality and how to separate love from sex through creative encounters and experimentation. It is a very even handed portrayal staying clear of any moral or cultural judgments, with delicate if not provocative undertones and undergarments. Heidi who left under a misunderstanding when she quite innocently had an affair with her mother's live in boyfriend, heads to the symbolic wilds of New South Wales where she meets several of the movies characters all involved in their own emotional development or lack there of and are destined to repeat the nightly beer bashes and multiple empty (although enjoyable) sexual encounters where this critic felt an immediate connection with their strife. Heidi's life is rapidly becoming a slow alcohol induced, sexually propelled train wreck when finally the retarded aborigine boy sagely suggests that she simply should call her mom, who comes and picks her up and all is forgiven. The character of the gay farmer served no purpose to propel the story line and in my opinion was a cheap ploy to get most movie critics who are wired that way to come see the movie. Heidi's smirk reflected in the window of her mother's car at the end of the move serves as a perfect juxtaposition to her curious look at the opening scene while removing her surrogate stepfather's pants. A masterfully balanced film that I give a five star stretchability factor to. Don't walk but run to see this movie!!

I liked this movie because it wasn't your typical love story and it featured very good performances from the two leading actors(cornish and worthington) the latter I never seen before but will now be on the look out. Abbie Cornish helped carry this movie to a higher rating for me. Her lost-puppy looks, fear, determination to make-it in the real/scary world and to find a life for herself is well evoked. The setting of the movie is a small (sking) town frequented by rich and poor. The town has a kind of cold/barren type quality to it even though it's sort of a tourist spot. It kind of reminded me of NOI(iceland) in that the lovers in the movie are trapped in their environment and no matter what the outcome they are still stuck.

Long, pointless, pretty shots of cows and clothes pegs fail to compensate for the lack of thematic vision that this film betrays. Abbie Cornish's performance, whether due to poor direction or lack of skill, is truly awful. On the other hand, Sam Worthington shines on screen and does the best he can with an insufficiently developed character.

I was looking forward to seeing this film because I'd heard good things about it. It won multiple awards and I'd heard snippets of the lovely Decoder Ring soundtrack over the radio.

Somersault is symptomatic of an Australian film industry that's lost its balls. None of the discipline it takes to put together a good screenplay and execute an interesting film can be found here. What a disappointment.