| Samson and Delilah | |
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Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Warwick Thornton |
| Produced by | Kath Shelper |
| Written by | Warwick Thornton |
| Starring | Rowan McNamara Marissa Gibson |
| Distributed by | Madman Entertainment |
| Release date(s) | 20 February 2009 (Adelaide) 7 May 2009 (Australia) |
| Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English Warlpiri |
Samson and Delilah is a 2009 Australian film and was directed by Warwick Thornton. It stars Rowan McNamara and Marissa Gibson, both young first time actors. It was filmed in and around Alice Springs. Described as a "survival love story" by the director, the film depicts two indigenous Australian 14 year olds living in a remote Aboriginal community who steal a car and escape their difficult lives by going to Alice Springs.[1] The film competed in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival,[2] winning the Caméra d'Or ('Gold Camera Award' for best first feature film) at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.[3][4] Screen Australia announced on 29 September 2009 that the film has been nominated as Australia's official entry in the Academy Awards best foreign language film category.[5]
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Samson and Delilah are two 14-year-olds who live in an Aboriginal community near Alice Springs. Samson sniffs petrol every morning. He lives in a run-down shelter with his brothers band playing reggae music, all day, right outside his bedroom. Samson is interested in Delilah, who lives with her grandmother. He throws a rock at her outside the local convenience store. In spite of mocking encouragement from her grandmother Delilah is initially not interested in him. Samson spends a day following Delilah around. He attempts to move in with Delilah, even though she is clearly uninterested in him. Delilah's grandmother passes away. Samson in a fit of rage, beats his brother with a stick, in order to shut him and his band up. His brother retaliates. The same thing is happening to Delilah; the other old women in the community blame her 'neglect' for her grandmother's death and beat her with sticks. Samson steals a car and takes Delilah with him as she sleeps. When they arrive in Alice Springs, they find a homeless man, Gonzo, living under a bridge. Samson continues to rely on petrol sniffing, and his habit progressively worsens. At one point, he gets so high from the fumes that he does not notice when Delilah is taken by a group of white teenagers in a car. She is raped and bashed, but she eventually comes back to Samson, who is unconscious on the floor due to the petrol sniffing. She also begins sniffing petrol with Samson. Under the same circumstances as her abduction, they are both walking along the street and Delilah is hit by a car. When Samson eventually comes to and realises she has been hit he believes she is dead, and cuts off his hair as a sign of respect. He spends weeks sitting in the same position under the bridge sniffing petrol as a means of getting over Delilah's death. Delilah comes back and rescues Samson, and they are both brought back to their old village. As they arrive one of the community's old women begins to beat Samson with a stick for stealing the community's only car. Delilah decides to take Samson away to a secluded area, as a way of rehabilitating, and getting over his petrol sniffing habit. Eventually Samson stops sniffing petrol, and over time Delilah is able to coax him back to his original state.
Based on 34 reviews, the film holds a 97% Fresh rating on the film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.[6] Samson and Delilah received five stars from both Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton on At The Movies.[7]
Samson and Delilah grossed $8,188,931 at the box office in Australia.[8]
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