Somersault is a 2004 Australian independent film starring Abbie Cornish and Sam Worthington, directed by Cate Shortland in her feature film debut. It came out around the time I started falling in love with independent film, and I remember as I worked at Blockbuster I passed by this film’s DVD cover over and over thinking “I need to watch this” but I never got around to it… until now.
Over 20 years after its release the film is coming to Blu-ray with a beautiful restoration from Vinegar Syndrome, and I’m so happy this screener came to me and I had the chance to watch it.
The film follows a teenager named Heidi who has a tumultuous relationship with her mother. After a disturbing encounter with her mother’s boyfriend, they get into a huge fight and her mother asks her to leave.
Heidi is distraught and goes off on a journey to find somewhere to live, some way to survive. She strikes up a relationship with another lost soul named Joe (Worthington), who has a hard time letting his guard down due to pressure from society and his father.
It’s an incredibly harrowing film — deeply felt, beautifully acted, and compassionate. Abbie Cornish as Heidi is a revelation. I couldn’t take my eyes off her; she seemed to live and breathe that character, and as a viewer you can’t help but feel the pain she feels and wish for her to have a better future.
The 4K restoration of this film looks beautiful. I’m almost glad I didn’t see it until now, because I can’t imagine the DVD looks anywhere near this good — and with the cinematography of this film, you’re going to want to see it with the best image quality possible.
Somersault is now available on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome and Film Movement.
