Our take
Dheepan is a French film from the director of A Prophet. It contrasts elements of Sri Lankan and French culture to provide interesting insights into both, while crafting a heart-wrenching and heartwarming tale of makeshift families in unimaginable circumstances. Like A Prophet, Dheepan makes occasional and shocking use of violence to underscore elements of culture and illuminate the inner workings of the characters. A fascinating and exhilarating movie, winner of the 2015 Palme d’Or at Cannes.
What it won
Other
1 nom
The story
Three war-torn strangers posing as a family flee Sri Lanka’s civil war to start over in a troubled Paris suburb, but their past traumas resurface as they struggle to survive in their new environment.
Elsewhere
"Dheepan is, for most of its runtime, a satisfyingly even-handed and non-judgmental story of culture shock."
— David Jenkins
"Represents everything that makes Audiard one of the most exciting forces in contemporary French cinema. It's almost too perfect a fit for a filmmaker who exclusively tells stories about people who suffer their way to freedom."
— David Ehrlich
