Ssooo... let me get this straight. When someone you love dies in the Aboriginal culture, you cut all your hair off? And your home tends to be a small community of derelict buildings, where the only thing to do all day is weave carpets, play the same monotonous tune on a guitar or mess about in a rusty wheelchair? Damn, that sucks. And to top it all off, both of our main characters get beaten to within an inch of their lives by their so-called 'friends'. No wonder they both leave together in a stolen van for pastures new. What's most shocking is they decide to return later.
Despite the title, this isn't really a romance. Samson's infatuation with Delilah seems to be like a moth flying round a light... he's fascinated by something he can't comprehend. Here we have a guy who sniffs petrol, speaks once in the entire film and is completely unpredictable in his behaviour. He probably would be committed, if he didn't live so far from civilisation. So it's no big surprise the minute he sees the comparably normal and straight-laced Delilah, he wants to know what makes her tick. Alas, under his influence, she starts acting oddly too, especially when they meet the tramp under the bridge...
But I don't want to give too much away. Sufficed to say though, that major events that occur here, which would dominate any other film, are just brushed under the carpet five minutes later. The laid-back Aussie way, I guess. The performances do what was intended... Delilah is a nice girl we'd like to serve us in the chip shop, and Samson is a crazy (though with moments of tenderness) we'd cross the county line to avoid. It has a very loose story structure and will never be heralded as a shining example of cohesive writing but for what it is, it works. No more, no less. 6/10
Despite the title, this isn't really a romance. Samson's infatuation with Delilah seems to be like a moth flying round a light... he's fascinated by something he can't comprehend. Here we have a guy who sniffs petrol, speaks once in the entire film and is completely unpredictable in his behaviour. He probably would be committed, if he didn't live so far from civilisation. So it's no big surprise the minute he sees the comparably normal and straight-laced Delilah, he wants to know what makes her tick. Alas, under his influence, she starts acting oddly too, especially when they meet the tramp under the bridge...
But I don't want to give too much away. Sufficed to say though, that major events that occur here, which would dominate any other film, are just brushed under the carpet five minutes later. The laid-back Aussie way, I guess. The performances do what was intended... Delilah is a nice girl we'd like to serve us in the chip shop, and Samson is a crazy (though with moments of tenderness) we'd cross the county line to avoid. It has a very loose story structure and will never be heralded as a shining example of cohesive writing but for what it is, it works. No more, no less. 6/10