Maybe our veteran local critics Margaret and David went overboard giving this movie five stars, but it does have a punch to it. We see the world of aboriginal fringe-dwellers from the inside, and it is not a comfortable sight. Yet Warwick Thornton does not shove the story in his audience's faces; neither does he romanticize it, even though it is at heart a love story.
At 14, Sampson (Rowan McNamara) is a pretty hopeless character. A petrol-sniffing orphan who lives with his older brother and some other young men in a Central Australian bush hovel, he spends his days sniffing petrol and hanging around the camp. He develops an interest in Delilah (Marissa Gibson), an attractive 16 year old who looks after her ancient grandmother Nana (Mitjili Napanangka Gibson). Nana, despite age and infirmity, is still churning out for a pittance traditional dot paintings which reach fantastic prices in an Alice Springs art gallery. But Nana passes away in her sleep and Delilah is beaten by her aunts for letting the camp's cash cow die. Although not over-enamoured with Sampson she allows him to take her to Alice Springs, where they take up residence under the Todd River bridge, with other homeless people, including the alcoholic Gonzo (Scott Thornton). Life may have been hard and boring in the bush, but town is a noxious environment and things become much worse. Yet their relationship flowers and we are treated to a hopeful if not happy ending. Far from betraying Sampson, Delilah nurtures him.
Sampson is not the talkative sort – in fact he utters but one word in the entire film – but he gets by on body language and an expressive face. Delilah is a more resourceful character and Sampson fills the gap left in her life by Nana's passing. Both Rowan and Marissa inhabit their parts rater than act, which suits Thornton's understated approach. The whites in the film are without exception unsympathetic, even the priest in whose church Delilah seeks refuge who cannot even bring himself to speak with her, despite her obvious distress. The upsetting thing for me is that the portrayal of the white characters is deadly accurate. The only charitable person in the whole film is Gonzo the alcoholic.
Like the Cannes judges I found this a remarkable first film, particularly as it was obviously made very cheaply. Thornton does the scenery justice as well as his characters, but I'm not sure it was necessary to get by with so little dialogue. The inner life of Sampson in particular remains a mystery.
At 14, Sampson (Rowan McNamara) is a pretty hopeless character. A petrol-sniffing orphan who lives with his older brother and some other young men in a Central Australian bush hovel, he spends his days sniffing petrol and hanging around the camp. He develops an interest in Delilah (Marissa Gibson), an attractive 16 year old who looks after her ancient grandmother Nana (Mitjili Napanangka Gibson). Nana, despite age and infirmity, is still churning out for a pittance traditional dot paintings which reach fantastic prices in an Alice Springs art gallery. But Nana passes away in her sleep and Delilah is beaten by her aunts for letting the camp's cash cow die. Although not over-enamoured with Sampson she allows him to take her to Alice Springs, where they take up residence under the Todd River bridge, with other homeless people, including the alcoholic Gonzo (Scott Thornton). Life may have been hard and boring in the bush, but town is a noxious environment and things become much worse. Yet their relationship flowers and we are treated to a hopeful if not happy ending. Far from betraying Sampson, Delilah nurtures him.
Sampson is not the talkative sort – in fact he utters but one word in the entire film – but he gets by on body language and an expressive face. Delilah is a more resourceful character and Sampson fills the gap left in her life by Nana's passing. Both Rowan and Marissa inhabit their parts rater than act, which suits Thornton's understated approach. The whites in the film are without exception unsympathetic, even the priest in whose church Delilah seeks refuge who cannot even bring himself to speak with her, despite her obvious distress. The upsetting thing for me is that the portrayal of the white characters is deadly accurate. The only charitable person in the whole film is Gonzo the alcoholic.
Like the Cannes judges I found this a remarkable first film, particularly as it was obviously made very cheaply. Thornton does the scenery justice as well as his characters, but I'm not sure it was necessary to get by with so little dialogue. The inner life of Sampson in particular remains a mystery.