Comments on: Film review – Samson and Delilah (2009)

By: Paul Martin

Paul Martin — Sat, 16 May 2009 23:05:31 +0000

Benicio, there are some comparisons with Beneath Clouds. The obvious difference with Ivan Sen's film is that his is a road movie and one of his protagonists is on the run from the law. Thornton's film is relatively static, so to speak, basically with the story taking place in two locations. The film is concerned with their existence and the way they relate. Beneath Clouds does depict a developing relationship, and the way Lena and Vaughn relate is not so dissimilar. Their cultural experience as aborigines is quite different to those of Samson and Delilah, whose culture is much more remote.

By: Paul Martin

Paul Martin — Sat, 16 May 2009 22:58:30 +0000

The shorts are very good and I highly recommend them. You can see both his evolving style as well as the consistent themes. Thornton's a story teller, and while there's obviously fire in his belly, he's not out to preach or teach per se. The potentially didactic themes are subtly there in the background, similar to the way Kelly Reichardt handles them in say Old Joy or Wendy and Lucy. Thanks for the links.

By: Thomas Caldwell

Thomas Caldwell — Sat, 16 May 2009 09:34:52 +0000

I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed Samson and Delilah as much as I did Paul. I missed that media screening this morning as I was (as usual) preparing for "The Casting Couch", the film show I do Saturday afternoons on JOY 94.9. See the On Air page for more details. We actually interviewed writer/director Warwick Thornton and producer Kath Shelper on the show a couple of weeks ago and you can read a transcript here.

By: Paul Martin

Paul Martin — Fri, 15 May 2009 13:08:46 +0000

Saw the film last night and I think both your score and your comments are spot on. I think that the film "is not a didactic, social-realist issue film with an axe to grind" is part of what really elevates it to something more sublime. In my review, I describe the story as ethnographic, an inside look into a culture that we know little about. Are you going to the media screening of Thornton's shorts tomorrow? If so, I'll see you there. I've heard good things about them.

By: Paul Martin

Paul Martin — Sat, 09 May 2009 10:17:32 +0000

I’ll come back and read this review once I’ve seen the film next week. All I’ve taken note of is your 4.5 stars. I’ve heard really great things about the film from some and others who were largely unimpressed. I also heard it compared to Beneath Clouds, which is one of my favourite Australian films.

By: Thomas Caldwell

Thomas Caldwell — Thu, 07 May 2009 01:38:49 +0000

To my shame I still haven't seen Beneath Clouds so I can't make any comparisons. Samson and Delilah really is amazing though so I urge everybody to try and see it this weekend. Unfortunately the opening weekend audience numbers can have a massive impact on whether a film gets a decent cinema run or gets pulled early.

By: Benicio

Benicio — Tue, 05 May 2009 11:59:34 +0000

Sounds a bit like the movie Beneath Clouds. Similar theme but in an urban setting. I still remember how haunting the lead girl was.