SOMERSAULT

Australia, 2004, 106 minutes, Colour.
Abbie Cornish, Sam Worthington, Lynette Curran, Erik Thomson, Holly Andrew, Leah Purcell.
Directed by Cate Shortland.

A somersault? You go up in the air in a somersault. You go to a new place, so to speak. Your feet are not on the ground. And, if you keep your eyes open, you will see everything from a different angle, the world upside down. You then land confidently on your feet. Cate Shortland's debut film is about a sixteen year old Canberra girl who feels she has to leave home, leave her mother whose boyfriend she was caught kissing. Her journey is an emotional and maturing somersault.

While this is not new material, it is well treated, especially in Abbie Cornish's performance as Heidi. When she arrives in Jindabyne, expecting to get a job, she doesn't get it. Nor does she always manage well, especially in the sex department. There is some hope in a liaison (she sees it as love; it never occurs for him to look at it that way) with a rich young farmer (Sam Worthington). She is befriended by a motel owner (Lynette Curran in an earth-mother role) and finds that a local family begins to show an interest in her. But, with her inexperience and the emotional baggage she is carrying, she ruins most things. Instead of a somersault, she could have fallen flat on her face.

Abbie is that she is still at school, only sixteen. When we meet her, we know nothing about her and the screenplay really does not fill us in at all. All we know is that home is with her mother and live-in boyfriend. Mother works, he decides to call in sick. Abbie comes into the bedroom, examines and touches his tattoos. They kiss. Mother finds them.

Abbie is strongly introspective. This is clear in her reflections on her relationships and how she perceives herself and others. While she acts like a party animal and is easily picked up by casual predator boys, she seems to be comfortable in being alone. The taken-for-granted promiscuous behaviour may be something learnt from her mother (or may not) and seems to be an indication of loneliness and insecurity rather than who she really is. Her desire to love and be loved suggests she will become a woman who is more deeply committed to one person.

One thing seems pretty clear, she can be decisive. No sitting around waiting for something to happen. She tries for a job from someone she met in Canberra and who rashly told her to look him up. No job. While looking in a store, she tries again but is interpreted as flirting. She sees an ad and she applies.
She notices details and remembers. She touches things - and she likes to touch people and to look at them, directly.

What finally emerges, after a casual one night stand and a threesome that doesn't happen, is that she does not yet need a man's love. That will come. Rather, she needs a mother. Irene, the motel manager, whose son is in gaol for murder and has offered her his room when she had nowhere to go, wants Abbie to leave after her slatternly behaviour. But Irene is too kind to be harsh. She acts like a mother surrogate and provides the solution to bring the somersault to a safe conclusion: some self-confidence and trust that her mother will forgive her. Abbie phones and her mother comes to get her. It is the kindness of others that saves her and a realisation that forgiveness is needed - from herself as well as others.

1. The film as a first film? Its subject, the female perspective?

2. The initial Canberra settings, the countryside, Jindabyne, the Snowy River area, Lake Jindabyne? The winter sequences? The snow and the snowfields?

3. The style of the film, natural realism, the stylised tone, especially the blue colouring? The musical score and its mood?

4. The title, the nature of a somersault, up in the air, looking at the world from upside down, landing on one’s feet – or not? Heidi’s experience as an emotional somersault? The almost total focus on Heidi and her character and experience?

5. The introduction to Heidi, the car, her mother in the bar, Adam? At home, the information about her being at school, her mother going to work, otherwise no information about her?

6. Heidi going into the room, Adam and his tattoos, touching them, making advances, her kissing? Her mother’s return, the angry reaction? Heidi and her being confounded and upset?

7. Her decision to leave, the bus to Jindabyne? Her motivation, hopes, lack of hope? The ringing Eddie and his fear of meeting her, no job? Roy, the shop, his interpretation of her as flirting? Her going to the bar, seeing the young men, dancing with the young man, going to the flat, the sexual encounter with him? Joe seeing her, her seeing Joe? Meeting in the bar, his picking her up? Her going to the motel, her response to the room and liking it? Meeting Irene, Irene as kind, wanting to reserve the room, Irene giving her son’s room, explaining that he was away for a long time? Heidi and her response to the room in all its detail? Her seeing the advertisement, replying to the advertisement, discussions with Bianca?

8. The possibilities for something good to happen in Jindabyne, her work, meeting Joe? His not acknowledging her in the shop but waiting afterwards and taking her out? Their nights together?

9. The effect of this relationship with Joe, her falling in love, wanting to touch, direct eye contact, her needs, expression of love?

10. Joe and his being more straightforward, his wealthy family, his travels, his work, with Stuart? The brusque reactions of his father? His relationship with his mother? Helping Richard out with the tractor, the discussions about him selling up, the talk about his relationships and his being gay? Stuart and the banter? The discussions with Richard about his travels? His wanting to know what it was like to be away from home, the experience of exile? His relationship with Heidi, discussions with Stuart, seeing it merely as a sexual thing? His own personal fears, holding things in, using Heidi? His taking her to the restaurant, the group going to Thredbo? The chilli and her eating it, her reaction, vomiting? His taking her back to the motel? His going to Thredbo, talking with the group, hitting on the girl, her reaction, the argument with Stuart, fighting him about Heidi? His going to Richard, his kissing him? His father, his not seeing Heidi any more?

11. Bianca and her initial resistance, her getting the lift with Bianca’s mother, meeting Karl? The explanation about his illness, his autism, his inability to have any reaction but merely imitating others? Her version of this syndrome? The day out, the pony, the riding, the friendship with Bianca? Roy’s coming in, his courtesy, driving her home, parking by the lake, his severe warning her off? Bianca and her cooling friendship, not allowing Heidi even to eat things in the store? Heidi, her being hurt, hosing the window?

12. The reaction, going to the bar, taking the wealthy boys back to the motel, the sexual advances, the drugs? Joe and his coming, the fight, ousting them?

13. Irene, the mother figure, the story of her son, her kindness towards Heidi? Her reaction to the disturbance during the night, asking her to leave, Heidi asking her about her son? Irene and her compassion, Heidi telling the truth about her mother, the phone call?

14. The farewell, Irene and her forgiveness and kindness? Joe and his coming, Heidi saying it was good that they met? Her previous talking about fate? Reconciliation with her mother, going back home with her mother? The completion of the somersault?

15. The character of Joe’s parents, the glimpses, their relationship, attitude towards their son? Richard, relationships, gay, the effect on Joe and his self-questioning? Stuart and the banter? Bianca and her family? Heidi relating well to Karl?

16. Heidi and her future, more stable, feet on the ground?