As I watch “Samson & Delilah”, I can’t help but feel respect towards filmmaker Warwick Thornton. For taking on something that others may consider as taboo or something that people knows that happens in Australian society but confronting those issues in his film and perhaps realize that racial insensitivity really does hurt people.
But what I enjoyed about this film is that the Warwick Thornton stuck to his guns. With a low-budget, knowing he had to utilize unknown talent and focus on using the majority of the production budget to film via 35 mm.
But it’s the patience that he had with working with Aboriginal teens, Rowan McNamara and Marissa Gibson and having the patience and the trust in them to be his main talents and getting the best of them on camera.
What’s interesting about the film is that both characters, Samson & Delilah do not speak to each other throughout the film. We see Delilah speaking in English to her grandmother and others but most often the communication by both teenagers are by facial expressions and hand movements.
Both teenagers are seen happy earlier in the film, may it be Samson goofing around and giving off a cheeky laugh or Delilah often in conversation with her grandmother or just chilling while listening to an audio cassette to relax, it’s the unfortunate reality when both leave their community and realize that there is not much out there for them among the Australian people.
And the shocking thing about the whole situation is that while Delilah is the smarter of the two, unfortunately bad things happen to her and most of the time, Samson is too high to even notice that she is missing until it’s too late.
While the film spotlights on the problems that exist for these two Aboriginal teens, it’s important to note that I don’t live in Australia, nor do I know if what is depicted on the film happens often in Australia but here in the U.S. we know racial profiling does happen. People who are judged to be thugs or are poor may be treated badly by store owners and it’s something we read often in the U.S. and unfortunately, as we have seen in the news with successful Black entertainers or normal people who are judged by their skin color despite having the money to purchase an item.
And as Delilah tries to make money by selling her art to anyone who will at least give her a try, no difference in America as I see people who come up to me to ask if i can buy food they made for money. But I think the biggest difference is seeing the faces of people when Delilah does approach them, they look at her like a parasite and the waitresses want her out of the dining areas. Would people who were white that tried to peddle art to those eating outside a restaurant will be looked at with disdain? Or was Delilah treated differently because she was Aboriginal?
But there is much more to this story as well. About two teenagers who depend on each other because they have nothing. Nowhere to call home. Nowhere to live. Nowhere to work. They are not accepted by their own people, while the others in Australia want nothing to do with them.
And to see how Warwick Thornton is able to create an enlightening journey between both individuals, the efficacy of the film is because Warwick Thornton was able to believe in his two cast members, to work with his cast members and knowing that both his leads have no experience but also they needed his direction. Both Rowan McNamara and Marissa Gibson have no formal acting training but they made their characters seem believable. Also, thanks to Warwick Thornton’s belief in his actors, his crew and his story and deciding to shoot in 35mm over digital, made a big difference.
Overall, “Samson & Delilah” is a film about two individuals from the Aboriginal community who try to survive among the Australian people, but learn quickly that their troubles in the community are even worse outside it. The film will no doubt strike a chord to viewers from other countries as racism, poverty and addiction can exist anywhere. But it’s how one deals with these obstacles, no matter how cruel life may seem.
Warwick Thornton’s “Samson & Delilah” is recommended!
