Somersault Blu-ray presents Cate Shortland’s acclaimed debut feature, a haunting coming-of-age drama that helped launch the career of Abbie Cornish. Set against the stark beauty of an Australian winter landscape, the film explores loneliness, identity and the emotional turbulence of adolescence.
 
After making an ill-advised advance toward her mother’s boyfriend, 16-year-old Heidi flees her home and travels to the quiet ski town of Jindabyne. Struggling to survive on her own, she finds work at a local petrol station and a place to stay with Irene, a sympathetic local resident. When Heidi becomes involved with Joe, the son of a wealthy farmer, her fragile attempts to rebuild her life begin to unravel as her self-destructive impulses resurface.
 
Both intimate and emotionally raw, Somersault is a striking debut from director Cate Shortland and a breakthrough performance from Abbie Cornish, capturing the vulnerability and confusion of a young woman searching for connection and belonging.
 
directed by: Cate Shortland
starring: Abbie Cornish, Sam Worthington, Lynette Curran
2004 / 106 min / English