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DVD Review: Somersault
By Andy McKeague Aug 8, 2005, 21:15 GMT
Cate Shortland's debut feature is an assured and intimate look at a young girl in her troubled naive life. Abbie Cornish in the main role of Heidi is an absolute gem of a casting decision; emotion has not been given this depth since Emily Watson's portrayal in the similarly themed
‘Breaking The Waves’
. With gorgeous photography by Robert Humphreys and an excellent score by Oz band
Decoder Ring,
we have an excellent backdrop for the story to unfold.
‘Somersault’
opens with Heidi, a young teen living in New South Wales, who has difficulties with love, life and becoming an individual. She seeks comfort but naively cannot tell the difference between sex and affection, and the value of both. She wants warmth; she wants to be wanted but thinks the only way to get this is to spread wide for any takers. Her craving for this leads to family troubles as she is caught with her mother’s boyfriend in a state of undress.
Understandably distraught she flees the scene and ends up in the blistery cold heights of Jindabyne. Here she tries to make her way to having some shelter yet money is a problem too. So she heads to a bar and hopes for a pair of arms to fall in. The scene is filled with harsh blues to give it its icy exterior and warm colourful tones on the inside, reflecting the troubled male population she is about to meet.
Joe (Sam Worthington), a local lad, watches Heidi as she is taken away by a tourist; these parts are filled with people coming for the skiing and then disappearing a day or two later. He sees her again the following day and introduces himself, but Joe has problems with intimacy himself and is confused where he fits into this world. He is happy enough to have sex but to bare his heart is what he associates with being feminine.
The plot for the movie is simplicity itself as we watch Heidi go from one mistake to another trying to find shelter in somebody’s heart. Joe is as icy as Jindabyne and just as impenetrable to Heidi on the surface; when he feels emotion for the first true time he goes to the gay friend of the family to console himself.
His is a small budget gem of a movie, with amazing performances from the cast, especially Cornish and Lynette Curran, playing Irene, who takes a sympathetic ear to the girls plight. But this is definitely Cornish’s and Shortland’s show, with this small girl almost miniscule against the vast snowy backdrop, filled with fleeting characters, her loneliness heart-breaking. But after every fall she picks herself up and smiles onwards to the next situation.
The disc has a few good extras too; there is
'Inside The SnowDome - The Making of Somersault'
which has cast and crew talking away and leading up to the film's premiere at Cannes, and
'Shooting Somersault'
is a bit tech heavy in its conversation with Humphreys but is still insightful listening to him explain the use of colour, which this movie is rich in abundance with in more ways than one. There are a few deleted scenes including a nice piece of improv from Cornish.
But the best piece in this extra section is the short
‘Flowergirl’
. This is almost worth the price of the DVD on its own; actually it is worth it ! This 20 minute short looks at the lives of three Japanese twenty-somethings living in NSW. One of which, Daisuke (Toshiyuki Chiba) has been asked to go back home to Osaka to work in the family’s business. Torn by his affection to his flat mates, especially to Hana (beautifully played by Mikiko Ooka), and obeying his family’s decree, this follows his last few days. Again Shortland has Humphreys on camera duties and seems like a prelude to the style that is so apparent in
‘Somersault’;
the camera, mostly hand held and intimate, looking for the most minute of expression and reaction from the cast in the colourful landscapes of their world.
These two films by Shortland should make an indelible mark as a new exciting visionary voice from the Land of Oz, and most definitely worthy to keep your eyes peeled for her next outing.
'Somersault'
is available now via
AmazonUK
, and as of yet there has been no US release date given.
You can read more about the DVD in our
database
.
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Somersault
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US Release: 2006-07-25
UK Release: 2005-08-08
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