Le saut périlleux

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 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 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.

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.