Review of Samson and Delilah (2009) by Jj M — 21 Feb 2011

You would need to approach this film with the utmost of open minds. It certainly played on my emotions and would have me think twice about visiting Australia (just for a minute, mind). There's a deeply pessimistic undertone that pervades most of the story and in the process, I couldn't help conjuring up feelings of disdain for the colonisation of Australia and the ensuing neglect by the colonists for the native inhabitants (see also Rabbit Proof Fence).

Its a sorry tale of two youth-brimmed, almost-silent aboriginals and their burgeoning, 'natural' love for each other (they never utter a word to one another). The director pulls no punches in his portrayal of this and the consequent trials that befall them, sometimes applying all-too-obvious devices to create effect.

But the prevailing message about aboriginal life in modern-day outback Australia is steely strong and positively effective.