Somersault

Heidi (Abbie Cornish) is a pretty teenager who leaves home after getting caught making out with her mother's boyfriend. She impulsively travels to Jindabyne, a snowy ski resort town, because she once met a man from there who said she should call him if she was ever in town. When that connection ...more

On its surface, Cate Shortland's quietly mesmerizing feature debut, Somersault, wouldn't seem to bring much originality to the troubled-teenage-girl-coming-of-age subgenre. It has all the requisite plot points and stock characters -- the sullen, handsome romantic interest, just smart enough to be a misfit; his obnoxious buddy; the kindly older woman whose own sad past brings out her compassion toward the wayward lass; the outsider (here gay) who returns to the Podunk setting with a wiser ...more