Somersault (2003)
Assignment 2
By Sam Stevenson
Question
‘In the Australian film Somersault (2003) show how the film develops female sexuality and coming of age, using narrative, motif, and settings.’
SID: 13205584
Tutor: Helen Miller
Due Date: 4th April 2013
Word Count: 1, 880 words
Somersault (2003) directed by Cate Shortland is a complex, layered and richly textured cinematic experience. Nominated for fifteen Australian Film Institute awards, winning thirteen of which included best film, best direction and best original screenplay, the film explores female sexuality and coming of age. Set in the ski fields of Jindabyne, New South Wales, Shortlands examines how different experiences and people can mold a young adult. She achieves this through her two leads, Heidi (Abbie Cornish) and Joe (Sam Worthington). The film follows the life of a confused sixteen-year-old girl, Heidi who leaves her mother in Canberra due to a sexual misconduct, traveling to Jindabyne where she explores her own sexuality. She begins to build a new life and falls for a local boy, Joe. She desperately craves affection but unfortunately cannot differentiate between love and sex. This essay will analyse how the film develops female sexuality and coming of age, through the use of narrative, motif, and settings.
A films narrative is a chain of events that continue the story forward. It occurs through cause and affect, time and space. It is also an audience’s interpretation, allowing different narratives to exist. Shortland explores the narrative with great depth, utilizing her own talents as a director and her actors to skillfully connect the audience to the narrative. The development of female sexuality is presented through the narrative in the first fifteen minutes. Heidi a sexually confused, lonely girl is caught seducing her mother’s boyfriend. This sequence firstly introduces and prepares the audience for sexual discourse throughout the film, it also begins the development process of female
By Sam Stevenson
Question
‘In the Australian film Somersault (2003) show how the film develops female sexuality and coming of age, using narrative, motif, and settings.’
SID: 13205584
Tutor: Helen Miller
Due Date: 4th April 2013
Word Count: 1, 880 words
Somersault (2003) directed by Cate Shortland is a complex, layered and richly textured cinematic experience. Nominated for fifteen Australian Film Institute awards, winning thirteen of which included best film, best direction and best original screenplay, the film explores female sexuality and coming of age. Set in the ski fields of Jindabyne, New South Wales, Shortlands examines how different experiences and people can mold a young adult. She achieves this through her two leads, Heidi (Abbie Cornish) and Joe (Sam Worthington). The film follows the life of a confused sixteen-year-old girl, Heidi who leaves her mother in Canberra due to a sexual misconduct, traveling to Jindabyne where she explores her own sexuality. She begins to build a new life and falls for a local boy, Joe. She desperately craves affection but unfortunately cannot differentiate between love and sex. This essay will analyse how the film develops female sexuality and coming of age, through the use of narrative, motif, and settings.
A films narrative is a chain of events that continue the story forward. It occurs through cause and affect, time and space. It is also an audience’s interpretation, allowing different narratives to exist. Shortland explores the narrative with great depth, utilizing her own talents as a director and her actors to skillfully connect the audience to the narrative. The development of female sexuality is presented through the narrative in the first fifteen minutes. Heidi a sexually confused, lonely girl is caught seducing her mother’s boyfriend. This sequence firstly introduces and prepares the audience for sexual discourse throughout the film, it also begins the development process of female
Bibliography: Doring, M. (2004). Melinda Somersault Interview. Hancock, G. (2013). Visceral Shock in Cate Shortland’s Somersault. Scan | Journal of Media Arts Culture , 10 (1). Holden, S. (2006, April 21). 'Somersault, ' the Story of an Alluring Teenage Runaway. Retrieved March 29, 2013, from The New York Times: http://movies.nytimes.com/2006/04/21/movies/21some.html?_r=0 Mitsuda, K. (2006). The Age of Innocence. Retrieved April 1, 2013, from Reverse Shot: http://www.reverseshot.com/article/somersault Shachar, H. (2011, December 16). AFI blog. Retrieved April 1, 2013, from Why I Adore: Somersault : http://blogafi.org/2011/12/16/why-i-adore-somersault/ Shortland, C. (2004). Somersault Interview.