Rowan McNamara, Marissa Gibson, Mitjili Napanangka Gibson

Samson and Delilah's world is small- an isolated community in the Central Australian desert. When tragedy strikes they turn their backs on home and embark on a journey of survival. Lost, unwanted and ...( read more  read more... )alone the discover that life isn't always fair, but love never judges.

Flixster Users

89% liked it

222 ratings

Unrated, 1 hr. 41 min.

Directed by: Warwick Thornton

Release Date: February 20, 2009

Invite friends to see

Stats: 103 reviews

Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Photos


None yet... Got one?

Your Rating



clear rating
Share on: Facebook Twitter

Flixster Reviews (103)


  • June 29, 2009
    Probably one of the best Australian film ever, certainly one of its most powerful, dealing with the nation's elephant in the room, the indigenous Australians. A harrowingly confronting film about youth, indigenous culture, disadvantage and poverty ultimately turns into a subtle b...( read more)ut extremely moving love story. A quietly beautiful film that gets under your skin and shakes you too your core. Particularly powerful from an Australian perspective the film looks hard at a shameful fact of Australian society, without moralizing or pointing blame, the film transcends the subject matter and creates a powerful love story. But be prepared for its slow style and its ability to emotionally drain you.
  • May 25, 2009
    This is a highly realistic story of two Australian Aboriginal teen-agers, Samson and Delilah.

    Filmed in Alice Springs, Warwick Thornton has drawn on personal experiences to create what is essentially a love story. Picturesque sunsets across wild plains and deserts are contras...( read more)ted with the ugly reality that is true for so many indigenous communities across Australia. Through Thornton's film, the audience is brought to a sympathetic view of the problems of physical abuse, substance abuse and poverty that attack the indigenous way of life by trying to modernise it.

    Adding to the film's authenticity, Thornton has developed the story using very little dialogue. Neither Samson and Delilah say one single word to each other throughout the 101 minutes of the film, and yet both Rowan Mcnamara (Samson) and Marissa Gibson (Delilah) show exceptional performances, given that they are untrained, raw talent.

    Surprisingly, the story lies in its reference to the biblical tale of Samson and Delilah, connecting a loss of strength with loss of hair. Yes, this is not an easy film to watch, yet this truly memorable film is unexpectedly comical, dramatic, romantic, and most of all, hope-inspiring.
  • September 16, 2009
    I think I would have to consider this a gimmick film. That's not to say that it's bad or ineffective. But when I take a step back and look at the plot or the technical aspects of the film, I don't find anything profound. But it works mainly because it differentiates itself in ...( read more)a somewhat gimmicky way, which is to have neither of the main characters speak (in fact, they don't speak to each other once in the entire film). This is a strong movie, which manages to avoid being boring even while nothing happens. More arty than entertaining, which was the entire point.
  • September 16, 2009
    A young Australian aboriginal couple leave there isolated community and try to survive on there own in a neighboring town.
    Saw this at TIFF 2009. Not much dialogue in this one. The male character only speaks once and the female character may have five lines of dialogue. The c...( read more)ouple never speaks to each other. The film works mainly through situation repetition where, for example, the girl walks around meekly trying to sell her art. Next time this situation shows up, she tries to sell her art she's basically shoving it in people's faces.
    Not having dialogue actually helps out the film because if it did have dialogue it would have felt like you were watching a made for television movie of the week.
  • August 27, 2009
    One of the latest Australian Best movie
  • August 1, 2009
    Confronting and realistic and quite good. Manages to be interesting and have character development despite the overwhelming lack of dialogue, although it's the lack of dialogue that makes the film work. Music is used to punctuate scenes quite effectively, often adding another dim...( read more)ension.
  • July 7, 2009
    Over-rated. The story is poor - full of deus ex machina - and the arc for the female character is neither uplifting nor sends a very good message. Some nice touches early but the hyperbole is totally unjustified.
  • June 10, 2009
    Beautiful and painful, although the not-so-subtle Christian message is rather odious.
  • May 4, 2009
    d best movie have ever wash

Critic Reviews


No recent reviews.

Comments


This board looks lonely. Be the first to talk about "Samson and Delilah" !

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

More Like This


This list looks lonely.
Add a suggestion!

Theater Showtimes & TV Listings


Samson and Delilah Trivia


  • What legendary director links the films "Cleopatra", "The Ten Commandments", "The Greatest Show on Earth", "Madame Satan" and "Samson and Delilah"?  Answer »
  • Which film refers to Biblical woman character?  Answer »
  • What village was Samson from in Samson and Delilah ?  Answer »
  • How many years had Samsons people been in bondage in Samson And Delilah ?  Answer »

Movie Quizzes


No quizzes for Samson and Delilah. Want to create one?

Video Clips


No video clips yet. Want to upload one?

Recent News


No recent headlines. Got one?

Most Popular Skin


No skins yet. Interested in creating one?