In an attempt to have a better life, Dheepan, a courageous soldier, who during the Civil War in Sri Lanka flees to Paris, where he struggles against dealing with new life challenges and he gets a caretaker job.
A Jacques Audiard movie looks deceptively naturalistic, but it's as tightly coiled as a thriller and it hides allegories. Despite a controversial left-hand turn in the final moments, "Dheepan" is no exception.
Shooting on actual locations and with a cast of nonprofessional actors, writer-director Jacques Audiard keeps the neorealism pumping until a third act concession to conventionality (and vigilantism) leads it in the direction of Cannon Pictures.
Dheepan should be a work of social-realism that helps us understand their plight, but only in the small moments does it feel the sum of its humanist intentions.
The rich, well-acted drama doesn't gain much from an awkward shift into violent gangster-related action. Still, Audiard stages the urban warfare with his usual muscular flair, and this is a film that keeps hold of your attention.
The film simmers and builds until it boils over in an explosive climax. And it shows how far people will go just to be able to cling to some semblance of hope.
