Review of Dheepan (2015) by Filipe C — 11 Nov 2015

To delve into the world depicted by Audiard in Dheepan is to pay close to attention to the world around us, forcing a pensive reflection on the recent Syrian refugee crisis. As the story navigates the waters of linguistic and cultural barriers - with great sensitivity and a grounded nature -, the audience is forced to assess its own role in this simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming portrait of three strangers learning how to become a family.

It's not until the moment when the corruption of the human soul and the overwhelmingly involving violence settles in that, quite suddenly, a distance is set. It's safer. And that is precisely when Dheepan becomes a transformative cinematic experience, a gut-wrenching docudrama that strips conventions and exposes the frailties of utopia.

Led by real-life political activist Jesuthasan Antonythasan, the film raises questions about the ability to escape a world that defines us, while trying to find humanity in a climate of terror. Audiard then drives the narrative to an impressively gruesome finale, a slap in the face that tells us that we can do better, that we can make a difference.

And we should.