A STUDY GUIDE by Gary Simmons and Vyvyan Stranieri
http://www.metromagazine.com.au
http://www.theeducationshop.com.au Industry and public acclaim
T THE TIME of the publication of this study guide there is a lot Aof speculation on the film win- ning an Oscar at the 2010 Academy Awards where it has been nominated as a candidate for Best Foreign Lan- guage Film.
Samson & Delilah won the prestigious Camera d’Or award at Cannes (2009) and has had success at Toronto, Zurich, Munich and Telluride Film Fes- tivals. It will also be screened at the London Film Festival.
Samson & Delilah is not only written and directed by Warwick Thornton, it is his debut feature after several short films which also have won national and international acclaim and prizes.
Samson & Delilah recently won Best Stills photographer: Mark Rogers Feature Film award at Saint-Tropez’s Cinema des Antipodes Festival and its young stars, Rowan McNamara and Marissa Gibson, took out the male and CURRICULUM LINKS: Samson & Delilah is suitable for middle and female acting awards. Australian actor senior secondary students studying: Australian History, English, Studies Anthony LaPaglia, who was on the of Society and Environment / Human Society and its Environment / Social jury, intimated: Education, Indigenous Studies, Media Studies. I think it should become a part of the Why study Samson & Delilah?: This study guide provides Australian school curriculum and all a framework for discussion and writing, teaching and learning material, kids should have to watch this film to a running sheet and classroom activities to help teachers and students get a greater understanding of their develop an understanding of Indigenous and non-Indigenous experiences country and where it is at right now. in Australia as they are delineated in Samson & Delilah. The film simultaneously explores the gaps, but also the bridges that exist between Warwick Thornton, the director, puts two worlds. Given the Central Australian location of the film and its it so honestly and accurately in one remoteness to the majority of viewers geographically and personally, this of the many interviews he has done in study guide has been written to enhance understanding of a world that is the wake of the film’s success. In an more often than not glossed over or misconstrued or subject to sometimes interview with Jim Schembri (The Age, reductive conclusions via newspaper and television news reports in the 21 October 2009), Warwick Thornton SCREEN EDUCATION large cities where most Australians live. asserts,
2 Synopsis In a stolen car with no food, money or idea where they are headed they turn Samson and Delilah live in a remote their backs on the community and Aboriginal community in the Central head towards the desert horizon. The We gave Australians access to a place Australian desert. In a small Indigenous next day, out of fuel, they walk into the they’d never been before. The only community, everything seems to hap- closest town. time they’d ever been to that com- pen in a cycle. There are daily rhythms munity or met kids like Samson and which are repeated and despite a The two teenagers soon discover that Delilah was on the five o’clock news! phone link into the community, this is life outside their community can be It’s made me so proud and so happy a world which is out of sight and out of harsh. Lost, hungry and marginalised, that people were watching this film mind, except for those who live there. Samson and Delilah sense a growing and getting access to information they love which fills the void in their lives. didn’t have before. Samson is a mischievous, yet shy, But this love is tough love, given their fifteen year old who yearns for some- predicament, their vulnerability and In light of the Rudd Government’s thing more. Although boredom set their place on the margins. official 2008 apology to Australia’s in long ago, Samson’s spirit is often indigenous people for past wrongs, expressed via his humour, his love of Delilah searches for a way to improve Thornton believes Samson & Delilah music and an awkward and growing their situation and begins to paint. She can also be seen as a back-handed love for an initially reluctant Delilah. tries desperately to sell her work, but post-Sorry film. fruitlessly. In frustration, she pushes Unable to express his desire for some- her work at potential buyers aware of ‘“Sorry” doesn’t fill fridges, either,’ he thing more, Samson’s personal escape their discomfort. Samson is caught says. ‘It makes a lot of people stronger comes in sniffing petrol. When a violent between his addiction and his love and makes them take bigger steps outburst takes place at home, Samson for Delilah. Delilah also succumbs to towards their future, but in my camp it breaks the cycle and his journey begins. petrol sniffing after the trauma of male pretty well doesn’t mean anything.’ violence and violation. Sixteen-year-old Delilah is the sole carer The ‘sorry’ word was designed for our of her artist grandmother, Nana fancies They are separated for a short time grandmothers, and it did work. But for Samson for her son-in-law. When Nana when Delilah is injured but Delilah the Samson and Delilahs of the world passes away, Delilah is held responsible re-appears like an angel of mercy as it doesn’t mean shit. When you’re and the traditional punishment is harsh. Samson slowly self-destructs alone starving on the streets and you’re After a period respecting Delilah’s grief, and under the bridge. But ultimately SCREEN EDUCATION homeless, that word just doesn’t cut it. Samson feels compelled to step into the and hopefully, Delilah’s love guides him breach and in his own way protects Deli- away from the nemesis of addiction and lah from the ostracism of the community. takes him home.
3 Before watching the film
‘Let’s be honest’
What is your first hand experience of Indigenous/non-Indigenous relations? For teachers it might be participat- ing in the Long Walk organised by Michael Long, the former Essendon AFL footballer, who walked from Mel- bourne to Canberra to speak to the Prime Minister. Further back in time, it might have been the mass Reconcilia- tion walks that attracted participation and provided a public focus for the reconciliation of versions of history as well as reconciliation and acceptance of the effects of the forced removal of Indigenous children by draconian Gov- ernment policies for over 100 years.
Perhaps there is the public profile of the Close the Gap lobby group whose aim is to close the seventeen-year gap between the life expectancy of Indig- enous and non-Indigenous people.
Perhaps you like the Bangarra dance troupe or Indigenous painting or the songs of Archie Roach. Perhaps some of your sporting heroes are Indig- enous.
Perhaps you have read books like Home by Larissa Behrendt or Burnt Stick by Anthony Hill or Doris Pilking- ton’s Follow the Rabbit Proof Fence which triggered the important film on the stolen generations.
Perhaps you have watched films like Activity herent in all lives. Samson & Delilah as Rabbit-Proof Fence (Phillip Noyce, a film challenges the assumptions not 2002), Ten Canoes (Rolf de Heer and • Make a list of all the points of entry only about cultures but also percep- Peter Djigirr, 2006) or Beneath Clouds to Indigenous experience that the tions of cultures. As an idea and a re- (Ivan Sen, 2002). class can bring together, including ality, ‘culture’ is often framed by West- direct personal experiences with ern and non-Indigenous interests and Perhaps you have heard the young Indigenous cultures. It must be criteria. This can lead to what is called hip hop act, Tjimba and the Yung remembered that there is a multi- ethnocentrism; a narrow perception of Warriors. plicity of Indigenous cultures and culture in which the dominant culture languages. is always the cultural benchmark. Perhaps you have heard or read the ideas of Indigenous leaders Pat or Activity But culture is a lived, living and breath- Mick Dodson, Noel Pearson who has ing experience which, while it can just written the most recent Quarterly Who and what frames invite comparisons, is autonomous Essay, Larissa Behrendt or Lowitja culture? and specific to a time, place and the SCREEN EDUCATION O’Donoghue. inhabitants of that time and place. So The notion of culture or cultures is in- culture is not really singular or
4 experiences personal definitions write short responses on how these concepts are realised in the experi- Grief ences of characters in Samson & Delilah. Survival Forerunners to Samson & Compassion Delilah
Love The screen is a cultural marker and refractor of Indigenous identity. In cin- Despair ema, there is a continuum of the repre- sentation of Indigenous experience and Loss identity. This continuum on the screen starts from the ethnographic/anthro- Blame pological gaze of non-Indigenous film- makers in the late nineteenth century Spirit and goes to the emergence of screen Self-knowledge narratives that privilege and promote heterogeneous Indigenous identities Desire and voices. More and more of these films are being made by Indigenous Hope filmmakers such as Warwick Thornton.
Anxiety This study guide recommends two relevant websites that will provide Redemption information on this continuum of films. These websites have comprehensive Fear lists of films made by both non- Indigenous and the growing number of Fate Indigenous filmmakers.
Chance Both
Responsibility Look for early films like Uncivilised (1936) and Jedda (1955) made by Charles Chauvel. Elsa Chauvel also Item 1 worked on the second of these films. Have a look at a recent film like Be- one-dimensional. Suggested starting points neath Clouds and you will get a strong sense of this continuum. • How do you define your own cul- Activity ture? Activity • How would you define identity? • Make notes on each of the follow- • What influences your culture and ing human experiences, emotional • Browse the list of Indigenous film- identity? spaces and ideas before watching makers, read the synopses of the • What do you understand of Indig- the film. Compare and contrast your films and present an overview of five enous identities and culture prior to notes with those of your friends. films that have captured your atten- watching Samson & Delilah? See ITEM 1. tion. If you have access to the web • There are cultural stereotypes which • Write your personal definitions in the in your classroom show some clips have been perpetuated about Indig- right-hand column. Most of these of these films that can be found at enous identities and culture. are open to interpretation, as you
and stereotypes existed in non- individual responses with those of SCREEN EDUCATION Indigenous, mainstream circles in other students. the first place? • Return to these at a later date and
5 Delilah
Love
after What follows is an extract from the watching the film Samson & Delilah press kit in which Warwick Thornton talks about his First impressions ideas that generated the making of the film. Read what Warwick has to say If you take the time to respond to about the love story. these simple questions on just about any text that you study, you will have a Samson & Delilah is a love story, but sound basis for writing any essays or perhaps not in the traditional sense. tasks set for you in class. It is a story that deals with life on a remote Aboriginal community and Activity the ways in which one young couple 6 What values seem to be transmit- manage to escape from this mundane Preliminary questions on ted in Samson & Delilah? How existence. The central theme that I Samson & Delilah is the viewer positioned? Or to wanted to explore is love, but not in put it another way, what are you the conventional sense, not a usual 1 What ideas, themes and issues as viewer invited to accept or sort of love – a love that develops out does the film explore? How are reject in the representation of of survival. they analysed or explored? the world of Samson & Delilah and 2 How does the narrative structure of its closure? It is a story about the many different the film work to support its ideas? 7 Who or what is missing from ways in which love grows. Samson Is the film linear? Do we have to fill the story? and Delilah have a very unusual rela- in gaps? 9 What does it say about children, tionship and their love is strong but 3 How do the physical setting and adults, males, females, and understated and it develops as their the cultural context work in the film cultures? trust develops. But will it save them? to develop its themes and ideas? 4 Are characters represented sym- Issues in Samson & Delilah It’s a film about people who are pathetically? Do they change? Are classed not even as people – let alone the characters stereotyped? Are Introduction people who are allowed to love or they polarised? Do we feel am- have emotions. They’re not allowed to bivalent about them? The theatrical trailer to any film will be human. They are the untouchables. 5 How do voice, dialogue, action whet the appetite of the viewer and and image (visual cues and codes) usually foreshadow the characters and I believe that the story of these two and their interaction define char- ideas that are being represented in the young lovers, Samson and Delilah, is
acter? Look here at the mood cre- film. an important and unique story to tell SCREEN EDUCATION ated by the use of colour or lack of – it’s an untold story. In the end, even colour at particular moments. • Watch the trailer of Samson & though life is going to be hard, I want
6 Activity
Find out about the work of an In- digenous artist such as Emily Kam Kngwarray or any other prominent Indigenous artist and present a data show or virtual gallery to the class that shows some of the artist’s work. Get the rest of the class to talk about what they like about the works.
In Samson & Delilah, the shot of the dead bird references one of the most important Indigenous visual artists and filmmakers, the late Michael Riley from the Wiradjuri/Gamileroi nation.
Michael Riley is known for his evoca- tive and lyrically symbolic photographs the audience to feel like there are real and his stunning documentary repre- possibilities of success for them … A sentation of his own wider community, new life … Hope. in which his portraits capture the beauty and strength of his subjects. Activity To explore Michael Riley’s art, visit the • What kind of a love story do you see National Gallery of Australia website in Samson & Delilah and how does it for a comprehensive investigation of differ from a conventional cinematic his work. love story? Activity Exploitation of Indigenous art • Why might Warwick Thornton have chosen to reference Michael Riley? There has been a real boon in the Activity commercial growth of Indigenous art. Petrol sniffing The film explores the commodification There is a quite vociferous debate over of Indigenous Australian art, which is what happens to Indigenous art. Here Like the film Yolngu Boy (Stephen the strongest sector of Australia’s fine are just some of the views of the sale Johnson, 2001), Samson & Delilah arts industry with an annual turnover of Indigenous art. confronts petrol sniffing head on. The of about $100 million a year in 2007. perpetual image of Samson inhaling Investors have capitalised on the • Should Indigenous art be for private fumes addictively, reinforced by Deli- popularity of Indigenous art, and in sale and profit? lah’s own use of petrol to obliterate the some cases have been accused of • Should it only be exhibited in public pain of violent assault provides a clear profiteering from Indigenous artists. galleries? picture of a social problem, that while • Should there be fairer prices paid to not endemic, must be recognised and In the film, this is revealed in Delilah the artists? confronted in young Indigenous lives. discovering one of Nana Kitty’s paint- • How can this be guaranteed? This honesty is one of the strengths ings in a gallery run by a non-Indige- • What are the cultural and ethical of the film. There is no skirting around nous owner. The price tag on one of considerations that surround Indig- petrol sniffing and its consequences. her paintings is $22K. enous art? Interestingly enough, it is Delilah who • What do you think? is the catalyst in Samson’s detox. The brutal indifference of the owner She removes the temptation and the is also revealed in the scene in which This link
7 the nettle on this issue and subvert prejudices and stereotypes that sur- round those who fall into substance abuse. One of the messages of the film is that the petrol sniffer is some- one’s friend or family. In the case of Samson, there is also a young man with a generous spirit who is being extinguished by his addiction.
Read the following outline on pet- rol sniffing and write a report for a newspaper which investigates petrol sniffing with its personal and social costs
Role of Christianity in Delilah’s life
There is a sequence in the film in which Delilah wanders into a church. She looks at all the iconography with a kind of reverence. Throughout, the clergyman looks on without saying a word and watches her leave without any attempt to comfort her, given her state of mind and her physical injuries.
At the end of the film, Delilah places a cross on the tin wall.
Activity
• Why do you think Warwick Thornton decided to include these sequences in the film? • Research the influence and impact of the Christian church on Indig- Cultural practices The official website
missionaries went with the objective unfamiliar with Nana’s reference to the Samson & Delilah on Facebook and SCREEN EDUCATION of converting Aboriginal people to matching skin or kinship of Samson those questions can be answered. Christianity. and Delilah.
8 Violence against women INDIGENOUS PEOPLE TODAY are compared to $585/wk for other Without wanting to reduce this to just the most disadvantaged group of families, as of 2001 Census), an issue, violence against Indigenous people in Australia. On all the major and over half of Indigenous women is clearly illustrated in the indicators such as health, hous- people get most of their income sequence in which Delilah is abducted ing, education and employment, from government welfare. and violated by the young non-Indige- Indigenous people are significantly • The Indigenous unemployment nous males. worse off than other Australians. rate is about three times higher than that of non-Indigenous There are two contexts in looking at In 2007, the statistics highlight people. Many Indigenous peo- this sequence. some of the big gaps between ple also rely on government- Indigenous and non-Indigenous funded work unemployment The first is that there has been a lot of people. programs, like the Community adverse publicity in the press about Employment Development Pro- violence against Indigenous women • Life expectancy is seventeen gram (CDEP). in Aboriginal communities and nearby years less for Indigenous peo- • Indigenous people are much towns as if the perpetrators of vio- ple: that’s 59.4 years for Indig- more likely to be renting a lence are usually Indigenous males. enous men vs. 76.6 years for all house (63.5 per cent vs. 26.6 Australian men and 64.8 years per cent overall) rather than The second context is the history of for Indigenous women vs. 82.0 owning their own home (12.6 violence against Indigenous females years for all Australian women. per cent vs. 40.5 per cent over- by non-Indigenous males going back • Infant mortality (the rate at all). centuries. which babies die) is three times • Overcrowding in housing is a as high, and Indigenous babies major problem. This is worst in Activity are twice as likely to be low remote communities where up birth weight, which makes them to seventeen people can share • Why did the filmmaker include this much more vulnerable to illness. a three-bedroom house. sequence and why did he not reveal • There are significantly higher • Indigenous people are much the violence first-hand? rates of chronic diseases, com- more likely to be victims of vio- municable diseases, disabilities lence, for example Indigenous Inequality and mental health problems people make up around 15 per amongst Indigenous people. cent of murder victims, even There are obvious moments in the film • Indigenous students are half as though they only make up 2.3 in which the inequalities between In- likely to stay at school until the per cent of the population. digenous and non-Indigenous people end of Year 12 as other stu- • There are much higher levels are highlighted. dents. of substance abuse, family vio- • The average Indigenous house- lence and suicide in Indigenous Some of these moments in the film are hold income is only 62 per cent communities. highlighted when Delilah sits watching of the national average (this • Indigenous young people are the two schoolgirls eating ice cream means Indigenous households more than four times more likely and using a mobile phone. Delilah is get an average of $364/wk to be sexually abused. so near yet so far. There is a gaping chasm between Delilah and the girls here. The indifference and discomfort ITEM 2. Source: While the film is both personal and www.closethegap.com.au/information. SCREEN EDUCATION political, there is a stronger emphasis php> as well as the text in ITEM 2 and But Australia has also gone backwards on the human story of Samson and present a paper to the class on these in other measures. For example, more 9 • Go to YouTube and search for ‘“Stop this Intervention” Larissa Be- hrendt – Indigenous Law Professor & Author Talks Sanity’. This will pro- vide an Indigenous response to the Intervention Activity • What is the raft of issues that sur- round this issue and why has it created such an outcry? In conclusion Activity • With a film like Samson & Delilah, Indigenous people are being locked A peripheral issue – there will be the ideas of the film- up than ever before. Between 2002 The Northern Territory maker and your own ideas that can and 2006, the imprisonment rate for Intervention be drawn from the film. Read the Indigenous women increased by thirty- full article at words of it. response, though he did make some SCREEN EDUCATION adjustments to its implementation. Stylistically, Thornton uses wide-angle 10 long shots and extreme close ups. The Soundtrack and sound camera lingers and caresses charac- design ters lovingly. He records the reactions, those reflective moments that betray The sound of the wheels of cars as flickers of understanding and growth. they hit bumps in the bitumen as they © 1969 Unichappell Music Inc. & You can see and feel the aching heart pass over the bridge, the sounds of Acuff-Rose Music, Inc. at times, the inner pain, the tension the natural world are all part of the By kind permission of Warner/Chap- and confusion, the rhythms of a grow- organic soundscape of Samson & pell Music Australia & Sony ATV Tunes ing affection. Delilah. The film also relies on music to Licensed courtesy SonyBMG Music tell its story. The music of Ana Gabriel, Australia Pty Limited Warwick Thornton trained at the a Mexican singer, is important to Deli- Central Australian Aboriginal Media lah. She swims in this music. ‘Jesus Gonna Be Here’ Association (CAAMA) in radio and Performed by Scott Thornton filmmaking, he then went on to study Here is the list of tracks and their Written by Tom Waits cinematography at the Australian Film sources. Published by Jalma Music Television and Radio School in NSW Licensed courtesy of Universal Music (AFTRS). The first film that he shot was ‘Nightblindness’ by Troy Cassar-Daley Publishing MGB Pty Limited for Rachel Perkins from the Arrente, Written by David Gray (Chrysalis Mu- Kalkadoon nation: the award-winning sic/Mushroom Music Publishing) ‘Crystal Chandelier’ Radiance (1998). Licensed courtesy Tarampa Music Pty Performed by Scott Thornton Ltd Written by Ted Harris Warwick Thornton likes to spend con- © Plainspoken Music siderable time on his projects during ‘We Have Survived’ Used by permission of Southern Mu- the pre-production stage. Rather than Performed by Scott Thornton. sic Publishing writing his script, he photographs how Written by B.Willoughby (Mushroom he sees his films. Music Publishing) ‘Talisma’ by Ana Gabriel Bart Willoughby in 1978 formed the Written by Paulo Massadas / Miguel Activity seminal Aboriginal reggae/rock band, Plopschi / Michael Sullivan No Fixed Address. No Fixed Address Published by SonyATV Music Publish- • How does this work process af- opened the door for many artists to ing Australia and © Edicoes Musicais fect the look and feel of Samson follow, as one of the first and success- Tapajos Ltda & Delilah? ful Aboriginal bands to secure com- All rights admin & licensed by EMI mercial airplay and tour internationally. Music Publishing Australia Pty Ltd Activity He also starred in the Australian film Licensed courtesy SonyBMG Music Wrong Side of the Road (Ned Landers, Australia Pty Limited • Warwick Thornton allows the viewer 1983). to get close to his characters. How ‘Como Olvidar’ by Ana Gabriel does the camera position the viewer ‘All I Have To Offer You Is Me’ by Written by Gabriel in specific sequences? Use the Charley Pride. Published by SonyATV Music Publish- SCREEN EDUCATION segmentation at the end to refresh Composed by Dallas Frazier, A.L. ing Australia your memory. ‘Doodle’ Owens. Licensed courtesy SonyBMG Music 11 Australia Pty Limited made an immediate impact on the Opening sequences will introduce viewer. Explaining why these aspects characters, foreshadow ideas and set ‘Sunshiny Day’ by Charley Pride of the film (the microcosm) made an up expectations for the viewer. The Written by Ben Peters impression and then speculating on endings of films reveal any growth in Published by Ben Peters Music (USA) how the emotional effects and traces moral courage and/or self-knowledge. / Fable Music Pty Ltd (Australia) are deposited in the viewer. This will Sequences in which an epiphanous or Licensed courtesy SonyBMG Music provide a framework for crystallising ‘lightbulb’ moment for one of the char- Australia Pty Limited an understanding of the film’s broader acters occurs are also worth studying perspective (the macrocosm). closely. ‘Little Baby Jesus’ Performed by Marissa Gibson The following exercise will help you View the following sequences which Traditional delineate your first impressions of are time coded. Use the prompts Samson & Delilah by identifying and provided for each excerpt to develop ‘Tjamu Tjamu’ by Ilkari Maru recording the indelible and memorable a close analysis. When responding to Written by Warren Tunkin, Larry Brady moments in the film. Write about five the prompts, think about the effects Courtesy CAAMA Music Pty Ltd of your lasting images or impressions created by the director’s choices. from the film. There is an example to There is a visual language that is used ‘Wasting Your Life’ by The Tableland start you off. by Warwick Thornton to tell the story Drifters which you must understand. Use Written by Joe Davey, Lexie Holt Activity the prompts to write brief notes OR Courtesy CAAMA Music Pty Ltd discuss the following elements of four • What – the image, sound, dia- sequences ‘Warlpiri Woman’ by Lajamanu Teen- logue. age Band (The reflection of Samson in the wa- Another day (0.00 – 5.10) Written by Alfred Rose, Kenneth ter when Delilah is bathing him …) Martin • Why – the reason that the impact »» The colours used in the credits Courtesy CAAMA Music Pty Ltd was profound »» The position of the camera when (I wasn’t expecting to see this reflec- Samson wakes and the effects of ‘Black Girl’ tion. Warwick Thornton likes to sug- this closeness Performed by Scott Thornton gest rather than show everything. »» The soundtrack and its specific Written by Jimmy Chi He arouses curiosity in the viewer commentary by …) »» The ways in which Samson’s ‘Come Back Again’ • How – the ways in which these movements are followed by the Performed by Gregwyn Gibson, Mat- emotional effects are created camera thew Gibson, and Steve Brown (There is great tenderness in this »» The sense of life’s rhythms in the Written by Shannon Gallagher, Greg- sequence. They are both enjoying community that are established in wyn Gibson the moment for a range of reasons. the opening sequence And as a ritual, it is also washing »» The ways in which Samson’s char- Desert Mulga Band Track One, Two & away their pasts.) acter is established Three »» The comparisons between Sam- Performed by Gregwyn Gibson, Mat- Four key scenes for close son’s life and that of Delilah and thew Gibson, and Steve Brown analysis how they are made Written by Shannon Gallagher, Greg- »» The use of natural organic sounds wyn Gibson, Matthew Gibson, Steve In a film like Samson & Delilah in which »» The relationship between Delilah Brown the dialogue is sparse, the soundtrack, and Nana and how this is estab- the silences and of course the images lished by both actions and the way Activity are heightened in importance. There the camera films their relationship are conversations between Delilah and »» Why the camera closes in on • Take three of the songs and write her Nana, Kitty, in her local tongue and character rather that opens up the about the importance of each song Gonzo verbalises aloud as he tries to setting in this sequence to the film and its characters. prise Samson and Delilah open. These words are of course significant but Listen to the music Images and their there is an image-based narrative that (19.09 – 21.57) effectiveness demands the viewer’s active atten- tion. Images in Samson & Delilah wash This sequence registers the first A useful way to start thinking about over the viewer in cinematic waves, tangible interest and connection SCREEN EDUCATION the film after first viewing is to identify determining our understanding of both between Samson and Delilah. She has the images, dialogue or sounds that the narrative and the characters. previously made it clear that she will 12 continue to exclude him from her life. framed by the camera in the film. Use the segmentation However, in this sequence the flames »» The shots of the well-heeled to reveal which moments in the film of their love are kindled. schoolgirls and the reasons for define them as characters. their inclusion. Delilah’s reaction to • Samson »» The importance of the radio and them. • Delilah music in Samson’s life »» The slow tracking shot past out- • Nana »» Delilah’s glance across to Sam- door cafe as Delilah tries to sell her • Gonzo son’s house own art »» The choice of music that immerses Segmentation of Samson Delilah Home (87.30 – 93.22) & Delilah »» Samson’s dance to his own music and what it says about him »» The role of Delilah in Samson’s Opening credits with red title on black »» Delilah’s response to Samson via renewal background her unseen gaze »» Her tears as her signature music is »» The blending of their respective played 1. Samson stirs to the ironic refrain, soundtracks »» The palpable strengths of Delilah ‘When I wake up in the Morning …’ »» The privileging of Delilah’s sound- and how they are recorded 2. Samson sniffs petrol to start the track and the blocking out of Sam- »» The placing of the cross on the tin day. son’s soundtrack as she watches wall 3. Samson emerges from his bed- him dance »» The bathing of Samson and how room and picks up an electric »» The intervention of Samson’s the tenderness of this sequence is guitar, which is abruptly removed brother and the response of both elicited by the filmmaker by his brother. This is one of the Samson and Delilah to this mo- »» The message to Samson from his few times that Samson is vocal. He ment which subverts so much of father and Samson’s reaction is excluded. what has been revealed about their »» The shared gaze and its impact 4. Delilah stirs embers and super- lives »» The final song and its clear state- vises Nana Kitty’s medication. ment 5. Samson commandeers a wheel- The marginalised »» The sense of hope and how it is chair from another boy. (54.00 – 61.10) conveyed 6. Kitty and Delilah paint traditionally. 7. A non-Indigenous art dealer and This long sequence set in Alice Characters storekeeper approaches and Springs reveals a divided world. greets Kitty. He drops off blank Gonzo, Samson and Delilah live rudi- Landscape as character canvasses and picks up complet- mentary lives under the bridge where ed paintings. food and reminiscences are shared. Landscape is naturally imbued with 8. Samson sits in the wheelchair The venture into the non-Indigenous meanings and stories. What might outside the general store and lets a world is one where they experience look like the middle of nowhere for public phone ring. indifference, hostility and violence. one person can become the middle 9. Delilah walks past Samson without of somewhere for someone else. A acknowledging him. She rolls her »» The photo of Gonzo and his landscape can enter the inner world of eyes once she has passed him. daughter that Samson looks at lives. Humans can feel it and breathe 10. Delilah leaves the store. Samson »» Delilah’s reaction to his invasion of it. It can trigger memories and de- gazes at Delilah and ultimately Gonzo’s meagre possessions sire and transform minds, souls and throws a stone, which hits her in »» Gonzo’s character and qualities hearts. The landscape can go from the back. and how they are manifested and being real to being a metaphor for 11. Samson writes ‘S for D’ in black represented in the film something else. texta on the wall of the store. The »» The advice given to Samson and storekeeper orders him to leave. the context in which it is given Activity 12. Delilah wheels Kitty to the make- »» Gonzo’s reflections on love shift health centre and waits »» The lighting in this part of the se- • Write a comparison of the land- outside. quence (the fire is a common prop scapes of the community in which 13. Kitty sits before a Christian cross. in the film) Samson and Delilah live and their 14. On the way back home, Samson »» The holding of hands as an exten- life in Alice Springs. races past Delilah and Kitty in his sion of Gonzo’s yearnings wheelchair. »» The use of the space under the Characters in brief 15. Samson sits and watches the band bridge as a set and setting jam. SCREEN EDUCATION »» The visit to both the art suppliers • Write a fifty-word character portrait 16. Night falls and Samson lies on his and the gallery and how Delilah is for each of the four main characters bed with Indigenous radio on in the 13 background. mately Samson wins. Samson ap- Angered by Delilah’s beating, he 17. Delilah tends to Kitty and keeps pears triumphant. Delilah watches goes on a rampage in which he the fire burning before retreating to him with a mixture of curiosity and randomly destroys property. a car and listening to a signature apprehension. 48. As the police arrive, Samson re- song as she closes her eyes. 32. Samson bathes in a sandy wa- treats to his lookout, sniffing petrol 18. Samson sits in the middle of the terhole he has scooped out. He continuously. dusty road as headlights approach spies and kills a kangaroo, which 49. Samson steals a vehicle at night and flash. he takes back to Delilah as a gift. and leaves the community with 19. Next morning Samson wakes He finds his mattress outside the Delilah, who sleeps on the front slowly. There is a drumbeat fence. seat. outside. He opens a near-empty 33. Delilah prepares canned fish on 50. Samson siphons petrol from a car fridge. Again, he intently sniffs Samson’s arrival. Kitty refers to him at a roadhouse and continues driv- petrol. as Delilah’s ‘husband’. Delilah re- ing until he runs out of petrol in the 20. Kitty wakes slowly and takes her lents and offers Samson some fish. middle of nowhere. medication reluctantly. A public 34. The roo cooks over an open fire. 51. Samson and Delilah walk in phone rings. 35. Samson places his mattress close silhouette through first light to the 21. Samson plays guitar discordantly, to that of Delilah under the veran- nearest town. until it is removed from him again. da. There is a silent dispute over 52. Delilah buys food at a supermar- Samson shows resentment at this. territory and Samson’s mattress is ket. Samson has stolen extra food, 22. Samson waits outside the store as out in the open. But by morning he which they eat. Delilah passes. He has written ‘S is close to Delilah. 53. They make their way to the under- and D onley ones’ on the wall and 36. Delilah tries to wake Kitty but she carriage of a bridge. is checking Delilah’s reaction to has died during the night. 54. They watch Gonzo, a homeless this. 37. Delilah caresses Kitty, her grief man, with interest but do not 23. Delilah leaves the store and throws growing ever more visible. speak to him. Samson a packet with a snack. He 38. Delilah cuts her hair with a knife in 55. When Gonzo leaves, Samson rifles follows her and she throws stones a ritual of mourning. through his suitcase. He cuts a at him. 39. Samson wakes and immediately plastic bottle in half, sniffs petrol 24. While Kitty and Delilah paint, Sam- knows what has happened. He is and moves in on Delilah, only to be son sits on the fence. He is the deeply respectful and his sympa- pushed away. topic of conversation. Kitty urges thy is palpable. 56. Eventually Delilah kisses Samson Delilah to go off with Samson and 40. He leaves and returns to his room. on the forehead, much to his de- assures her that Samson is the He sniffs petrol and emerges in light. right skin. a rage in which he smashes a 57. Gonzo returns and cooks them 25. Samson follows Delilah and Kitty branch over his brother’s head some noodles. He sings/recites to the health centre and waits and starts destroying the musical a verse about surviving the white outside with Delilah. Ants swarm instruments and equipment. man’s world. on the red dirt. 41. Samson resumes sniffing before 58. Delilah waits outside Coles. Sam- 26. Samson follows Delilah and Kitty retaliation occurs, with Samson son shoplifts. to the church. He throws stones on being beaten. 59. Delilah is fascinated by Indigenous the roof while Kitty is inside. 42. Women in the community beat art in the window of the Native Af- 27. Samson returns to his room and Delilah, accusing her of not looking fairs Gallery. There is a painting by sniffs petrol. after Kitty and of being responsible Nana (Kitty) selling for $22,000. 28. Delilah sits outside listening and for Kitty’s death. 60. Under the bridge, Samson again watching before returning to the 43. A painting is burned on a fire. looks through Gonzo’s belongings car to play her favourite song. 44. Samson has retreated to a vantage and sees a photo of a younger 29. Samson emerges and dances point overlooking the community. man with his daughter. Delilah vigorously to a strong beat. Delilah He is nursing his injuries. throws a stone at Samson in dis- is fascinated by his dance move- 45. Samson is badly lacerated and approval. ments, until he is unplugged. Her bruised. He showers the dirt and 61. Gonzo wakes up. He admonishes music and his music merge in this blood from his face. Samson for sniffing petrol as he scene. 46. Samson is chased away by a himself drinks wine from the skin 30. Morning. Samson takes his mat- brother and he goes to Delilah. from a cask. tress to Delilah’s but she shuts the She is covered by blankets and 62. Gonzo talks and sings about a love gate on him. There is an extended is sleeping. He pulls the blankets he once had. Samson and Delilah conflict over his intention to stay back gently and she, too, is cut look on. SCREEN EDUCATION with her. and bruised. 63. Morning. Delilah is awake as 31. Kitty laughs at their struggle. Ulti- 47. Samson swabs her wounds. Samson sleeps. She removes the 14 plastic container of petrol and Christians. Gonzo leaves Samson 93. Delilah cooks a meal that they holds Samson’s hand. his meagre food supply. share. Samson listens to local 64. Delilah steals some art materials 80. Samson is visibly shaken by Deli- radio and gets a message over the and paints on canvas. She tries to lah’s ‘death’, sobbing convulsively. airwaves that his father is coming sell her work but a non-Indigenous 81. Delilah appears like an apparition, home in six months. Samson is gallery owner dismisses her. leg in a brace. Samson’s brother gleeful at this news. Delilah paints. 65. Delilah sits in a mall. Well-heeled has arrived to take him home. 94. There is an ease between them as schoolgirls are immersed in their Samson is carried to the car. As he they enter each other’s lives. own world of relative privilege. passes, he smiles at Delilah. She 66. Delilah unsuccessfully tries to sell removes the bottle of petrol and Websites her painting to diners in the mall. pours it on the ground, throwing 67. Young white males in a car abduct away the container. http://www.samsonanddelilah.com.au Delilah. Samson is oblivious until 82. Samson and Delilah drive home. it is too late. He futilely chases the They stop at a service station for http://www.facebook.com/pages/ car. He vomits from nausea. petrol and the fumes get to Sam- Samson-Delilah/57868371709 68. Samson returns to the camp under son, who is told ‘no more’. the overpass. In the darkness he 83. Samson reveals a half smile as he http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/ sniffs petrol, listening to Gonzo talk looks out the window at the new special_eds/20071105/intervention/ in his sleep. Samson passes out. day. Delilah embraces him and default.htm 69. Delilah returns bruised and beaten, touches him affectionately. presumably sexually assaulted. 84. On arrival, one of the women in http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/ 70. Delilah scoops out a hollow in the community vents her anger 2009/10/26/2724120.htm?site= the sand and sleeps in it. In the at Samson for his irresponsibility. indigenous&topic=latest morning, she gets up, takes the But Samson is going to Delilah’s container of petrol and sniffs for country with her to start again. http://www.creativespirits.info/ the first time. 85. Delilah packs. She hears the public aboriginalculture/index.html 71. Gonzo prepares spaghetti and phone ring and answers it, taking a refuses to share it because Samson message. This is the first time the http://melbourne.citysearch.com.au/ and Delilah won’t talk and join in. phone has been answered in the movies/1137657033871/Interview+ 72. Finally, after being chided by whole film. with+Warwick+Thornton Gonzo, Samson utters his name 86. Samson and Delilah are dropped with touching difficulty. off at a small shack in her country. http://blogs.crikey.com.au/cinetology/ 73. Samson and Delilah try to phone 87. During the night, Samson has 2009/05/12/interview-with-warwick home but no one answers made his way to the petrol tank of -thornton-writerdirector-of-samson 74. Samson and Delilah leave. Delilah the 4WD and lies prostrate next to -delilah/ is sniffing heavily now. She aggres- the vehicle in the morning. sively thrusts one of her paintings 88. Delilah places Samson in a wheel- http://www.creativespirits.info/ in the faces of diners. They are chair, pours cold water over him resources/movies/making-samson unnerved. Delilah is asked to leave and drives the 4WD out of harm’s -and-delilah.html by the waitress, who threatens to way. call the police. 89. Delilah weeps as her signature http://www.realtimearts.net/article/ 75. They arrive at a church. Delilah is music by Ana Gabriel plays. issue90/9405 drawn inside. She sees an Indig- 90. She activates the windmill and enous Madonna and child and water flows. http://www.realtimearts.net/article/ religious iconography. The priest 91. Delilah gets the house in order issue92/9558 stares and follows her movements and places a cross on the wall. until she has left. She takes a gun and shoots a http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/ 76. Samson walks ahead of Delilah, kangaroo, which she brings back tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/london oblivious of her being hit by a car. for food. Samson looks at Delilah _film_festival/article6876615.ece He keeps walking in his petrol- with a tear in his eye. Hunting induced fog. kangaroos is men’s business and http://www.blacklist.org.au/index.cfm 77. Samson stays in the fog for over a he feels ashamed that he can no day. He sees the skid marks on the longer do this and that Delilah has Australian Centre for the Moving road and assumes that Delilah has to do it. Image been killed. 92. Delilah bathes Samson, rubbing http://www.acmi.net.au 78. He cuts his hair off as he mourns. soap over his skin with gentleness. SCREEN EDUCATION 79. Gonzo returns with news that he Samson is groomed and wears ACMI’s new permanent exhibition, has found accommodation with fresh clothes. Screen Worlds, has many displays 15 which explore and celebrate the rich Companion study guides Nicholas Rothwell, Another Country, cultural history of Indigenous mov- available from ATOM Black Inc, 2007. ing image making, called Dreaming This study guide was produced by ATOM. (©ATOM 2009) [email protected] For more information on Screen Education magazine, or to download other study guides for assessment, visit