Samson and Delilah is an ultimate portrayal of not only adolescent hardships, but what comes with being a young “blackfella” in white Australia. Aboriginals were seen as outcasts in society, and lived in communities that had little opportunity and development. Some teens turn to violence, which Samson does quite a bit in this film, because that is a life pushed onto them. The same stereotype is placed on youthful minorities in America as well, which is ridiculous.
From the beginning of the film, Samson is introduced as this lifeless being, while their is transition from the amount of life seen in Delilah’s face. Warwick definitely shows the toll oppression and humiliation has taken on the indigenous people. Samson has already turned to drugs when he is introduced in the film. He sniffs petrol throughout the duration of the film because he is already a lost soul. Delilah is the survivor in the film as she is able to coax with rape and humiliation. After she is sexually abused (by white guys nonetheless), she begins sniffing petrol as well. Warwick could have used any race, but chose white for a specific reason. When white settlers began taking over Australia they sexually abused Aboriginal women as a way to escape the Victorian prudishness. This kind of injustice is still seen today. A white female rape victim’s words do not mean that much as is, but majority words basically mean nothing. During colonization and well after, Aboriginal women were expected to take it because they were not even seen as human. Delilah was so broken she turned to drugs, which is exactly why Samson did them.
In the end of the film, Warwick shows the resilience and strength of Aboriginals. They are not weak and inferior beings, like much of white history has tried to convey. After everything, the two return their home and Delilah takes Samson somewhere to get him sober. We have been shown so far many Aboriginals go back to their roots/home when they are lost.
