Delilah

Description

Sam Dabieh, a famous rapper, is holidaying at a Greek Villa with his girlfriend Delilah. It should be idyllic - but Delilah’s not so sure. For a start Sam’s useless manager has turned up, and his presence is quickly turning their couples retreat into a boys on tour binge. Then there’s Sam himself. Little things, a word said too sharply, a question dodged. Is Delilah paranoid? Or is he being evasive?

When a visiting journalist drops a hint and mentions a name Delilah decides to investigate. She finds a girl on instagram. And this girl is young - like - too young. As Delilah reels from this discovery we start to understand Sam for who he really is. Sure he’s charming, but he’s also manipulative, controlling and deeply selfish. A series of further revelations set the scene for an explosive confrontation that will bring their holiday to an abrupt end and Sam’s career crashing down.

Biblical Connection

Delilah is a contemporary reworking of the biblical story of Samson and Delilah. Samson is a contentious figure. He’s exceptionally gifted, but volatile, licentious and brutal. Where the original story has little to say about why Delilah betrays Samson this film takes the view that she may have had some very good reasons for wanting to get rid of him. Even in context of the book of judges Samson can be understood as highly transgressive. He marries a philistine, and flouts the laws of his nazarite status, consuming wine and touching a dead body. Delilah re-imagines Samson as having committed the ultimate of modern transgressions - sex with a minor - and runs with it. In the wake of the Harvey Weinstesin scandals this seems both topical and relevant.