‘Dheepan’ is the work of art from Jacques Audiard who has created the likes of ‘Rust and Bone’ and ‘A Prophet’. The film also received a Palme d’or award, so my expectations of this film were set high. It certainly didn’t disappoint either, keep reading to find out why.
From acclaimed director Audiard ‘Dheepan’ is a story like no other. Dheepan (Jesuthasan Antonythasan) is a Sri Lankan immigrant who is forced to leave his home land when a civil war breaks out. He poses as a family with a woman named Yalini (Kalieaswari Srinivasan) and young child named Illayaal (Claudine Vinasithamby) – that he met along the way, and together they try build a new life in France. Dheepan finds work as a caretaker in the suburbs of Paris, and despite the positive start things deteriorate quicker than expected. Faced with daily violence on their housing block, the ‘family’ fall victim to a new kind of war.
Audiard has created a masterpiece that has left me speechless, thinking and desperate for change. Although at times the film comes across as lurid, it does a fine job at mirroring the world we currently live in. Focusing on real people, with real problems is something that has been done effortlessly in ‘Dheepan’. Antonythasan and Srinivasan create a sense of authenticity to their roles – Dheepan and Yalini are not afraid of the human experience. This film challenges all conventional characters and their cliches, and instead portrays relatable characters that people can connect with.
Rating: 4/5
‘Dheepan’ is emotionally engaging and will leave you asking questions about the state of our society. It is out on DVD from August 8.
