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I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Ssooo... let me get this straight. When someone you love dies in the Aboriginal culture, you cut all your hair off? And your home tends to be a small community of derelict buildings, where the only thing to do all day is weave carpets, play the same monotonous tune on a guitar or mess about in a rusty wheelchair? Damn, that sucks. And to top it all off, both of our main characters get beaten to within an inch of their lives by their so-called 'friends'. No wonder they both leave together in a stolen van for pastures new. What's most shocking is they decide to return later.Despite the title, this isn't really a romance. Samson's infatuation with Delilah seems to be like a moth flying round a light... he's fascinated by something he can't comprehend. Here we have a guy who sniffs petrol, speaks once in the entire film and is completely unpredictable in his behaviour. He probably would be committed, if he didn't live so far from civilisation. So it's no big surprise the minute he sees the comparably normal and straight-laced Delilah, he wants to know what makes her tick. Alas, under his influence, she starts acting oddly too, especially when they meet the tramp under the bridge...But I don't want to give too much away. Sufficed to say though, that major events that occur here, which would dominate any other film, are just brushed under the carpet five minutes later. The laid-back Aussie way, I guess. The performances do what was intended... Delilah is a nice girl we'd like to serve us in the chip shop, and Samson is a crazy (though with moments of tenderness) we'd cross the county line to avoid. It has a very loose story structure and will never be heralded as a shining example of cohesive writing but for what it is, it works. No more, no less. 6/10

Why, does it seem, that every film we are exposed to about the Australian indigenous community is heartbreaking, depressing and demoralising? Why does the Caucasian Australian always end up with a sense of self-loathing as the final credits roll down? The answer is simple. Because (in most cases) these bleak and cheerless films accurately mirror the lives and hardships these communities face daily. Warwick Thornton's hand written, directed and filmed 'Samson and Delilah' is no exception to this rule.The film follows our leading roles through an unfathomable period in their lives. The two teenagers live in a very rural, indigenous, central Australian community. Among the dusty plains and corrugated iron, uncommunicative Samson finds little entertainment in his environment. A mature Delilah spends much of her time caring for her unwell grandmother and helping her create traditional works of art. When Delilah's grandmother passes, she is blamed for the death and severely beaten. Samson, too is victim of domestic violence and the two flee for a better life. This, of course, is not the case.The opening sequence is the first time we are exposed to Samson sniffing petrol. Just woken up in rustic accommodation, we see him reach for the plastic bottle, deeply inhaling the chemicals under the shelter of his blanket. It is strongly insinuated that this behaviour is far from outlandish in that environmental context. In terms of content of the film, everything you would expect is present. The abuse of petrol is consistent throughout the film, and we are as saddened as we are horrified to watch its use spread from one person to another. More violence as well is a given, and themes of homelessness, racism and deprivation are certainly not uncommon.Inarguably it's not the feel good movie of the year. Nor is it a personal 'rise and fall' story as at no point is any member of the community painted in a position of power or hope. More accurately, it could be described as an 'out of the fry-pan, into the fire' struggle, Samson and Delilah fleeing hopelessly from their troubles at home to be faced with much more brutal truths about the world as a whole.Every horrifying event that takes place is amplified by how unpretentiously it is put forward. There are no 'Hollywood-esque' sugar coatings, overacting or long-winded musical montages. Incidents of abuse are depicted in the film as routine as any other menial activity. For example, as much time is spent focusing on Delilah being brutally beaten as on Samson simply digging a hole and lying in the cool earth. What is astounding is that the suspense is drawn out so intelligently, that each scene is as successful, interesting and meaningful to watch as the other.The shock elements of the film have so much to offer in terms of getting to understand the characters and their relative situations, however it is the sheer feeling of isolation, which is what shakes the audience's senses.Thornton has used that barren isolation almost thematically and has massaged that feeling into every technical aspect of the film. The entirety of the story is painfully silent. Societal misfits and protagonists Samson and Delilah communicate wholly through body language and expression. It's hard to say whether this adds something to the film, or rather neglects to detract from it, however either way the emotional and metaphoric value of each scene is tremendously heightened, and some serious depth is created between the two.Music is used sparsely, as the silence is so effective in creating such a harsh, raw beauty. A single monotonous tune is played recurringly for a good portion of the film, bringing attention to the unbearably repetitive tedious nature of the lives this community leads. Delilah throughout the film plays a cassette in the car, assumed to be the communities only source of enjoying pre-recorded music. Each night she pushes play, shuts her eyes, and lets the slow classical music surround and comfort her. We as an audience conclude that this music is her personal escape. When the car breaks down, however, and the two are forced to abandon it, Delilah is stripped of this comfort and the beautiful melodies are shortly after replaced with petrol fumes, which she uses as a substitute.Any audience, both Australian and international will be able to appreciate the harsh but unique beauty of the central Australian desert. The dry, barren plains, the gnarled, contorted trees, the rich red soil and infinite dust. Elements such as these aptly compliment the mood of the film, demonstrating eloquently the beauty in suffering. The aesthetics of the film highlight an unexpected silver lining. Samson and Delilah never strike gold, move to the city and live like kings. In fact there is little to suggest that they won't face troubles in the future. Without a spoken word, what is established is their commitment to each other, their love and camaraderie, which is the foundation of their will to keep moving forward.It was never Thornton's intention to create a film to make your heart sing and fill you with hope and inspiration. Nor did he want to depress his audience or create a tearjerker of a film for critical acclaim. The appeal of this movie lies in its honesty, however brutal. Ever complemented by its raw aesthetics and scarce audio, it reflects reality to an almost eerie degree. It doesn't demand your attention, rather it earns it, through patience and diligence, humility and raw Australian skill.

Don't go by the fact, it's an Australian film made by a virtually unknown aboriginal writer-director-cinematographer Warwick Thornton on a shoestring budget with untrained first-time actors. "Samson and Delilah" is a movie Robert Bresson, Ingmar Bergman, Werner Herzog or Federico Fellini would have been proud of at the pinnacle of their glory. (And in the true Australian tradition, the next movie by Warwick Thornton may turn out to be a total dud – whatever happened to Stephan Elliott? – but I hope not.) It's made in the austere style of minimalist emotions pioneered by Bresson in 1950s and 60s. There is no background music, other than a few recordings the two characters listen to on radio or tape; and hardly any dialogues (the two 14-year old aboriginal protagonists don't exchange a single word throughout the film).Getting bored? Don't be. It's a profoundly touching and satisfying art film, the like of which we have not seen too many in the history of world cinema. It would easily be in my personal top-50 best movies of all times. However, if the best of Robert Bresson, Ingmar Bergman, Werner Herzog and Federico Fellini bore you, then please don't bother.

Having seen this movie on ABC TV here in Australia last week, I have to say that I feel a bit guilty about not seeing this film in the cinema, when it screened a few months backs. This is "black arm-band" guilt no doubt...I had toyed with the idea of seeing it, but never got around to it...wasn't sure how good it would be. Australian films in general (this is the first Aboriginal movie I've seen) can often have poor acting and weak scripts and be otherwise uninteresting once you overcome inertia and finally pay up. So, this inertia I could not overcome to pay up and see it. Anyway, this is a very good movie and it would have been nice to pay money to see it and thus contribute to the film makers.Overall, the acting is of a very high quality, but the movie is quite minimalist and bleak...the cinematic equivalent of a sepia photograph in mood. There is very little dialogue and learning that the actors in this movie are often doing it for the first time makes that situation seem for the best. The physical acting of the two young leads is excellent, and the scene where Samson (Rowan McNamara) dances to music is quite cool (check out the excellent "Making Samson & Delilah" where Marissa Gibson (Delilah) has something to say on this).Set in a shanty town village, "Samson & Delilah" is the story of a blossoming relationship between the two young teen leads. Their circumstances are, like I say, very bleak. It's for this reason that I think that this movie doesn't really have any 'replay' value, but others may no doubt find more hope in it than I did. Despite not really being a 'popcorn' movie you can veg out to often, I highly recommend this movie to anyone.As I've said, the acting in this movie is highly engaging...more so than many movies by white Australians where the content is pitched to American audiences. E.g. Mitjili Napanangka Gibson as "Nana" is a delight. So too is Scott Thornton as "Gonzo"...there is humour and good will in this movie, despite its bleakness.The Age newspaper's "Green Guide" lift-out of 19/11/2009 has a long article on this movie as well as reviews of the movie and the making of documentary which screened a few days later. Reviewer Scott Murray says something remarkable..."And why is there no attempt to explain the poverty?" (p34). Well Scott, personally I think that there WOULD be something to explain if the native Australians lived in anything approaching a decent way of life. It's quite natural for some white people (of which I'm one) to perhaps infer that because black Americans can live in luxury, that black Australians can too, to a large degree. Pretty sure that I've seen police officers here pull over cars with Aboriginal drivers...their logic seems to be that it's incomprehensible to them that an aboriginal would ever be in a position to own such a staple of white society.You should definitely see this movie, and close attention can pay off (I PVRd the movie and was glad I did, so that I could do a 'double take' on certain scenes). E.g. there would be scope for a "Hollywood" type of resolution in this movie, when you see Delilah strolling a mall in the big smoke, and finding something familiar there (an interesting point of comparison would be the film version of "Once were warriors" (which was brilliant art) and Maori writer Alan Duff's more didactic novel (which lessened the story as art). In any case, a writer like Duff might have made much more of the possibilities of that scene in the mall than the movie did).Lastly, for something which definitely has repeat viewing value, check out the Making Of. It's definitely thought provoking in some of the background information it provides about the actors...you would wonder how such information could have coloured people's perceptions of the movie. Challenging, in any case. The featurette is, however, a lot of fun too...in fact, the performances by the two leads is even more remarkable considering what the featurette shows us! And some cultural differences are touched on too...the perception of the two young leads concerning two scenes (dancing and the shop store scene) is illuminating. I think that The Green Guide also mentions some cultural differences in courting practices for Aboriginals in the movie itself...I was interpreting it from a white point of view, so maybe this aspect could be expanded on for any bonus features on the DVD.This movie is bleak, spartan, minimalist and dour, but gee, you gotta go see it. Terrific.