This is not a light movie but it definitely retains a sense of humour. Central to the film is the love story between Samson and Delilah, two teenagers living in a remote central Australian Aboriginal community. Delilah (Marissa Gibson) lives with and cares for her grandmother and Samson (Rowan McNamara) with his brother.
Samson is cocky and sure of himself, but has basically nothing to do, and resorts to petrol sniffing to relieve the tedium. When circumstances cause them to leave their community, they end up effectively stranded in the town, with the locals ranging from indifferent to actively hostile, and no means of support. The film painfully conveys the lack of options available to the characters and chronicles their increasing levels of anger and frustration. The two leads interact almost exclusively by glance and gesture and the actors make the bond between them completely believable. Director Warwick Thornton has made a film that is sometimes difficult to watch, but has moments of humour and beauty, and tells an important story.
Depressing? Yep. Occasionally funny? Yep. Well crafted? Most certainly. Slum Cinema? Exploitative? Dunno. Don’t care. Go out, go support Australian Cinema, then talk it out amongst yourselves. I’m going to go buy the Big Issue.
Release date: May 7
Country of Origin: Australia
Running Time: 101 min
Official website http://www.samsonanddelilah.com.au/
Cast
Samson’s Brother Matthew “MG” Gibson
Store Manager Peter Bartlett
Community Lady Noreen Robertson
Wheelchair Boy Kenrick “Ricco” Martin
Payback Aunties Audrey Martin Fiona Gibson
Checkout Lady Morgaine Wallace
Security Guard Tony “Brownie” Brown
Art Gallery Owner Roland Gallois
Art Store Lady Patricia Shelper
Art Store Customer Alfreda Glynn
Teenage Girls Rona McDonald Jessica Sanderson
Abductors Tyrone Wallace Dylan McDonald
Waitress Trish Rigby
Priest Ricardo del Rio
Kenny, Green Bush Show David Page
Country Radio ID Pascoe Braun
and featuring
The verandah band Steven Brown Gregwyn Gibson Matthew “MG” Gibson
