Somersault (ATOM Study Guide)

Somersault is a film about being young and vulnerable. It is about love and friendship, growing up and discovering the difference between love and longing and the true meaning of intimacy.

This is a visually haunting film set in Jindabyne at the foot of the Australian ski fields. It is the story of a young girl's sensory journey through which she learns the true meaning of love, family and friendship. Living with her mother, sixteen-year-old Heidi looks to short-lived sexual encounters for the physical and emotional contact she craves.

Fleeing Canberra for Jindabyne, she meets Joe, the son of a wealthy local farmer. This meeting leads to a developing romance in all its complexity. However Joe's relationship with Heidi challenges his ideas of sexuality, class and his future. Through becoming aware of the lives of others and learning about trust and forgiveness, Heidi discovers a new sense of life and its possibilities.