The Gown Student Newspaper at Queen's University Belfast

REVIEW: Samson and Delilah

Deemed by the Australian press as a film that Australia could be proud of, and winner of the Camera D’Or award at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, ‘Samson and Delilah’ is a love story told unlike any other.  The small world in which the lovers inhabit is suddenly shaken when they are forced outside their comfort zones by their aborigine community.  Mistaken as social outsiders, the two youths are confronted with a very foreign environment and their relationship is the building block that keeps them going.  Director Warwick Thornton offers a truly original portrayal of young love and the struggle to come to grips with modernity in the midst of tradition.

BY LAURA SHEARER

www.queensfilmtheatre.com

One of the foremost striking components of this film that is evident from the very opening sequence is the great use of natural lighting.  It is an aspect that is introduced with such ease and the simplicity of its inclusion reflects the atmospheres in each scene perfectly.  Within the outback scenes it is representative of the estranged but peaceful community’s home life, but in the city space it becomes a showcase of the youths fear and lack of understanding.  Masterfully filmed, the lighting decisions are a clear creative control; always giving the viewer that little bit extra, quite efficiently lulling the audience into the romance of the narrative.

The sound design is simply astonishing.  The quality of the sound editing keeps a distinct sense of humanity and realism as well as maintaining the really moving subtle humour of the film.  It’s inherent from the first few mesmerising scenes that the skilfully crafted sound will play a huge part in our viewing experience.  Viewers won’t be let down by the well developed gripping tensions and will be taken aback by the vastly enjoyable easy flow of plot that the sound design helps along.

The cinematography is graphic, keeping audience attentions transfixed on the unfolding events.  As the continuity editing flickers by seamlessly, the camera angles and subject matters show an avid sense of artistry with the filmic mode.  There isn’t a single second of this film that won’t have you incredibly lost within its inspiring imagery.

The tale is cute in an endearing way, making it a real indie love story classic.  The superbly engrossing aesthetic feeling of young love is more than the key draw.  The lover’s tale is oddly not made relative to its western viewership, yet it effortlessly presents itself as something we can all understand on a compassionate level.  The exoticism of the film’s locations aids the developing sensation of distances within this tale of intimacy, overall giving a vastly rewarding consciousness that even by the roll of the credits is maintained as an almost numbed awareness.

The moody changing of the landscapes openly matches the emotions of the couple as they power along in their journey of personal development.  Equally, the narrative is haunting and perpetually sad, but always fresh and intriguing.  Thornton’s work is gritty and harsh, but it’s immensely watchable and is definitely deserving of more attention.

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