73
Metascore
21 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88New York PostV.A. MusettoNew York PostV.A. MusettoShowcases a brilliantly realistic performance by Abbie Cornish as Heidi. She's a provocative mix of naivete and ripe, unbridled sexuality.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterThe Hollywood ReporterWith 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.
- 80L.A. WeeklyScott FoundasL.A. WeeklyScott FoundasThis 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.
- 80Los Angeles TimesCarina ChocanoLos Angeles TimesCarina ChocanoDreamy and creepy, tender and terrifying, Somersault is a frank and visceral film that at the same time exudes an unexpected innocence.
- 80The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenSomersault, 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.
- 75The A.V. ClubScott TobiasThe A.V. ClubScott TobiasWatching 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.
- 75New York Daily NewsJack MathewsNew York Daily NewsJack MathewsShortland'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.
- 70VarietyVarietySexual 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.
- 70Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternWall Street JournalJoe MorgensternMs. 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.
- 50Village VoiceVillage VoiceThere are lots of ways to grow up. The method offered in this Australian drama is to do something awful and then flee from it.