Mature Eyes Only

Somersault (2004)

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Directed by: Cate Shortland

Cast: Abbie Cornish, Damian de Montemas, Olivia Pigeot, Alex Babic, Elizabeth Muntar, Justin Martin, Ben Tate, Joshua Phillips, Sam Worthington,Nathaniel Dean, Paul Gleeson

Runtime: 105 mins

A film written with a simple minded idea of a coming of age story turns into a story of human condition. This change in the script is brought out by the performance by Abbie Cornish. She takes this role and gives to it without any prejudice. It is one of those few unforgettable career defining roles that just went off the radar. It is a really small film but talks about some really harsh issues.

The film begins with Abbie’s character seducing her mother’s boyfriend and she gets caught in the act by her mother. Her mother throws her out of the house and she begins to fend for herself. It starts with her moving out of the town then moving in with several men. But finally she sort of sees the man of her dreams but he is sort of twisted. He is not sure if he wants her and still gives a lot to her. This provides the premise for the demise of his character. He tries to treat her well and tries hard not to fall for her charms. But he fails miserably and is strung with her for a little while. She stays in the room where they first slept and begins to work in the supermarket nearby. But Abbie is cursed with a eccentric sexuality that gets her into all kinds of trouble. But it is the way she gets by with all the torment that she causes in the lives of many that makes this movie a priced possession.

Abbie’s new boyfriend begins to fall out from his other circles because of the demands of his new relationship. The demands are more to do with his desires and the things she does for him. The film goes into an exploration of Abbie’s self through several scenes. The film doesn’t want her to grow up and stay in a state of confused adolescence that almost hurts after a while. It leaves everyone she meets a little confused of what they have lost through years of going in straight lines of life. It sort of makes them realize things they have lost in a very tarnished way. The film is a more poignant peace of how we are sometimes forced to loose our innocence in the face of all the pain and suffering people around us inflict without their knowledge. But at the end of this film the director gives hope by not changing the central character even after all the pain that has been inflicted on her. But instead the director leaves everyone else feel sorry for themselves