Review of Somersault (2004) by Jon W — 14 Aug 2008

The one dominating feeling I get from watching Somersault is that it makes me really really sad. Not depressed or upset - just sad. This is one of the only films I can think of that I would watch just for the fantastic cinematography.

Part of it has to do with how well the visuals reflect the kind of emotions that Heidi herself puts forth throughout the film. I also LOVED the way Abbie Cornish looked in this film; not exactly beautiful in the pure, drop-dead way and not the kind of cheap prettiness either, but instead, a kind of.

.. magnetism I think that really and truly meshes with her character wonderfully. The film itself (cinematography aside) I think could have used some work as far as that I think there were some minor details that shouldn't have been part of it that only served to take away from Shortland's ability to really flushed out the loneliness in Heidi and the way she tried to deal with it.

Being alone can be a horrible feeling and I think Somersault shows that sometimes, we forget the difference between staving it off and filling it up.