Somersault New 4K Restoration

  • Cinema
  • Playhouse
  • Run time – 106 minutes
  • Seating map

Cate Shortland’s award-winning debut feature

Australia | 2004 | English | Romance, Drama

The 2004 debut feature from acclaimed Australian filmmaker Cate Shortland arrives with a brand new 4K restoration to celebrate its 21st anniversary. Winner of 13 AFI Awards, Somersault helped launch the careers of stars Abbie Cornish and Sam Worthington and endures as a beguiling and tender story of personal transformation and courage.

After making a misjudged advance towards her mother's boyfriend, 16-year-old Heidi flees her home for the small Australian ski town of Jindabyne. Entranced by the startling beauty of the wintry landscapes and falling snow, she begins to create a new life for herself. With little money or practical experience, she accepts a job at a petrol station and finds lodging with Irene. When she falls for Joe, the son of a wealthy local farmer, her self-destructive tendencies re-surface, and her fragile new world threatens to come tumbling down.

An erotic, lyrical depiction of a young girl’s sexual awakening, Somersault was a breakthrough debut for both its director and its stars.

Presented by Sydney Opera House

Event details

Delicate and wrenching, tentatively optimistic … towering over everything is the creation of real characters inhabiting a believable world, all of them floundering.

Margaret Pomeranz

Credits

Cate Shortland
Writer and Director

Cast

Abbie Cornish 
as Heidi

Sam Worthington 
as Joe

Lynette Curran 
as Irene

Nathaniel Dean 
as Stuart

Erik Thomson 
as Richard

Leah Purcell 
as Diane

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Attending this event

Plan your visit

Address

Sydney Opera House
Bennelong Point
Sydney NSW 2000
Australia

Getting to the venue

The Opera House is a 7-10 minute walk from Circular Quay, and is easily accessible by car, train, ferry, lightrail, bus, bike and on foot.

Location and access

Playhouse

The Playhouse is located in the north-western corner of Sydney Opera House, best accessed through the Western Foyers.

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