Samson & Delilah Review

Cast: Rowan McNamara, Marissa Gibson, Mitjili Gibson, Scott Thornton
Director: Warwick Thornton
Screenplay: Warwick Thornton
Genre: Drama
Rated: MA 15+ Strong substance abuse
Running Time: 101 Minutes
Released: 7 May 2009

True Love

Synopsis:
Samson and Delilah's world is small - an isolated community in the Central Australian desert.When tragedy strikes they turn their backs on home and embark on a journey of survival. Lost, unwanted and alone they discover that life isn't always fair, but love never judges.

Winner of the Audience Award at the 2009 Adelaide Film Festival, Samson and Delilah received a 10-minute standing ovation at the end of the screening.

My Verdict:
Samson is a 15-year-old Aboriginal boy living in a small isolated community in central Australia. His days are filled with nothing, as there is nothing for him to do - no school, no friends and no work, there really is simply nothing and his attempts to find something are futile. His brother plays music with a band on the verandah of the house but Samson is not allowed to join in. He is a petrol-sniffing addict who has become infatuated with Delilah, a 16-year-old Aboriginal girl also lives in the community who lives with and cares for her Nana (played by real-life Nana, Mitjili Gibson). In contrast to Samson's days, Delilah's are filled as she cares for her nana and they paint - dot paintings - that they sell for a pittance but will later be sold for exaggerated prices. Soon, Samson and Delilah are thrust together through circumstance; they steal a car and travel to Alice Springs where their story continues.

Writer, director and cinematographer, Warwick Thornton uses the lonely and remote setting of the simple community to tell the story of Samson and Delilah as their lives become entwined, through tragedy and triumph in various forms. As the story shifts to the city of Alice Springs, the bleak reality of being homeless, penniless and vulnerable to abuse is used to emphasise the enormous challenge facing Samson and Delilah. Thornton is deliberately honest in telling this story, never glamorising the reality of the lifestyle of the characters.

Rowan McNamara is just so believable as Samson, obviously using his knowledge of having lived in a similar type of community as the one depicted. He barely speaks and spends much of his screen time with his nose in a can or bottle sniffing petrol yet he still conveys all the nuances of a child who is desperate for a meaningful relationship. Likewise, Marissa Gibson is very convincing as Delilah, utilising her previous acting roles to portray a credible but susceptible character. It is just a simple flick of her hand that lets Samson know she is aware of him.

So much of Samson & Delilah is visual - the infamous colours of the Australian outback, the silence, the sounds of the outback and the voyeuristic tracking of the two main characters. With very little dialogue, maintaining interest is crucial, and Thornton has perceptively achieved this with the narrative and its accompanying sound, notwithstanding one ear-piercing scene involving Samson and an amplifier. On paper, Samson & Delilah sounds like an extraordinarily simple story, but it is clearly also complex, humorous, sad, tragic and ultimately it is a powerful and confronting portrayal. Although a fictionalised tale, there aren't too many liberties taken with rarely a moment to think that any of it was created purely for the camera. There is a mood and feeling achieved here that reeks of a rare high quality that is seldom seen. Samson & Delilah is a triumph.

Rating : *****

Christina Bruce