Somersault
Magnolia Pictures | Release Date: April 21, 2006 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
73
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 21 Critic Reviews
Positive:
19
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Cornish's raw, nuanced performance and Shortland's sympathetic but unsentimental portrayal of Heidi's fumbling steps toward maturity are underscored by Sydney-based band Decoder Ring's catchy, angst-ridden score. Read full review
88
New York PostV.A. Musetto
Showcases a brilliantly realistic performance by Abbie Cornish as Heidi. She's a provocative mix of naivete and ripe, unbridled sexuality. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterDuane Byrge
With Somersault, filmmaker Cate Shortland has expertly served up a vivid and touching tale, one told many times before, but in this well-realized mounting, one that sparkles with fresh awareness. Read full review
80
L.A. WeeklyScott Foundas
This remarkable film from Australia, the debut feature of writer-director Cate Shortland, moves to the lyrical rhythms and unhurried pace of a 1970s road movie. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesCarina Chocano
Dreamy and creepy, tender and terrifying, Somersault is a frank and visceral film that at the same time exudes an unexpected innocence. Read full review
80
The New York TimesStephen Holden
Somersault, which the Australian Film Institute garlanded with 13 awards, including best film, director, actor and actress (for Ms. Cornish's astonishing performance), is a movie about the looks on people's faces and the disparity between the surface and the roiling chaos beneath. Read full review
80
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
Somersault faces the difficulty of representing a girl's unspoken desires and anxieties, a challenge Shortland rises to with terrific skill and aplomb. Read full review
80
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
This beautifully understated feature (2004) revolves around sex, but it's neither erotic nor puritanical; its young characters are governed by their urges, but the experience itself seems as neutral and mysterious as sleep. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
Watching the Australian coming-of-age film Somersault is a little like watching a fluffy white bunny hop through a minefield, one tiny spring away from becoming tonight's rabbit stew. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
Shortland's script takes some unnecessary turns, mostly with Joe's drinking and sexual insecurities. But as long as it's focused on Heidi's predicament, it is riveting drama. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
The character can be a dolt, but Cornish is a marvel, exuding a reckless hunger and prowling with a sexuality of potent directness. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
Erotic, poetic and light on its feet. It's a portrayal of a runaway teenager's sexual initiation, and though it comes close to being exploitive, it keeps dancing away. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTy Burr
The movie has more style than depth and it's sometimes in danger of confusing the two. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen Johnson
This is the kind of small filmmaking that leaves a big impression. Read full review
70
VarietyRussell Edwards
Sexual compulsion accelerates adolescent angst in the arty Down Under drama, but while Shortland shows a notable eye for detail, her distracted approach to narrative and an attitude to her characters that's cold as the movie's snowfields make pic most likely to be embraced by serious-minded fest auds. Read full review
70
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
Ms. Shortland has announced her presence as a new filmmaker to be taken seriously, while her star, Abbie Cornish, gives a performance that starts impressively, and gets even better as it goes along.
70
SalonAndrew O'Hehir
I'm sure some people will be driven mad by the deliberate ambiguities of Somersault, and by its characters' near-total inability to understand themselves or express themselves. But to me, that makes it uncannily true to life. Read full review
67
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
The annoying shaky-cam style so common to such indie dramas is toned down to a dreamy sway and the image drifts in and out of focus in scenes of heightened emotions. It's like waking from a daze and getting your bearings; the effect is both unsettling and calming. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleKimberley Jones
Cornish, in her first film seen stateside, is astonishing. Read full review
50
Village VoiceMelissa Levine
There are lots of ways to grow up. The method offered in this Australian drama is to do something awful and then flee from it. Read full review
50
PremiereJessica Letkemann
Director Shortland frames the story against the apt grey, off-season ski town, but her attempt to match it with deliberate pacing just makes the film feel chilly and too long, just like Heidi's depressing routine. Read full review
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