What is Samson and Delilah about?
Samson and Delilah is a 2009 Australian film written and directed by Warwick Thornton. It tells the story of two Aboriginal teenagers who leave their remote Central Australian community and struggle to survive in Alice Springs.
Samson, a quiet boy who sniffs petrol, and Delilah, who cares for her grandmother and helps her paint, live in a small community outside Alice Springs. After hardship and tragedy, they run away together.
The film has very little dialogue. It tells its story through images, music and the lead actors' performances. Rowan McNamara and Marissa Gibson, both non-professional actors, played the lead roles.
Awards
Samson and Delilah won the Camera d'Or for the best first feature at the Cannes Film Festival in 2009.
It also won Best Film at the Australian Film Institute Awards and was praised for its honest portrayal of life in remote communities, including problems such as petrol sniffing, poverty and neglect.
Thornton, a Kaytetye man who grew up in Alice Springs, also worked as the film's cinematographer, a role he had held on other Australian films. The soundtrack mixes country music, Latin songs and Aboriginal bands, and it plays an important part in telling the story.
Did You Know?
Warwick Thornton later directed Sweet Country, which won a Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival in 2017.