Dheepan

I don't know if Audiard has ever excelled in the originality department, but considering Dheepan's plot outline, there are certainly fewer surprises than in his magnum opus "A Prophet". Predictable though it may be, for Audiard it's more about the "how" and Dheepan is really so tasteful, intelligent and stupendously well crafted, that little else matters. The social observation is savvy, the dialogue rings true, the leads are magnetic, the cinematography is just right, and the pace is perfect.

It' like a Hollywood blockbuster which loves to spread messages of humanity and solidarity in a moralist way, without thinking on the political background critical enough. But one interesting aspect of Audiard's cinema is that it's a "neuro-cinema" in the sense that it's full of close-ups, it focuses on the characters and uses Deleuze's "affection images" to let the audience use their 5 senses with the protagonists as if simultaneously. It deserves attention although its content is worthless.

It's all fun and games...until someone loses their shit and goes Machete on everyone.

No attempt at objective rating here, FYI, just a rating based on the fact that I don’t like slow, sad, whispery movies based on gritty real world problems. It’s probably a great film for those who like that sort of thing.

Thematically strong and very moving but that's all. The first part was thrilling and it basically captured all the message that the director was trying to give. Then he lost me.

Good movie about the struggle to survive in a world of violence.

The parralel between tigers and thugs solemnly understood as a social criticism of French society wouldn't be entirely convincing, but as an additional analogy to post-war Sri-Lanka in which, for example, the maintenance of lies for civilized post-war Sri Lanka to be possible, it is, even if it feels off due to said unconvincing parralel and spoonfeeding and overstressing of themes more rampant in other areas of the film. In many ways an Apichatpong-light, though that hardly is a criticism.

Convenient realism for a conventional urban drama/thriller disguised as a self-important political agenda about refugees and the immigrants' situation in Europe. Also, that shitty Taxi Driver-esque ending and that edifying final shot make this probably the worst Palme d'Or winner of all time.

Another winner from maestro Audiard. It's full of style with purpose, characters who move you, and an excellent soundtrack by the best DJ in the world, Nicolas Jaar.

A great first act that never really lives up to his full potential, but definitely a lot of value in regards to putting you in a situation.

Thematically strong but that's it. Often clunky and poorly acted. How this won the Palme d'Or is beyond me.

Great leading performances from both actors weakened by the last act of the film as I tried to understand what the hell was going on. The Palm d'Or was definitely an overachievement because it is not even the best of Audiard.

Dheepan gewann die Goldene Palme in Cannes, hatte etlche Fans, aber auch Kritiker. Dheepan, der Hausmeister, zieht eine weisse Linie zwischen zwei Gebäuden. Sie markiert so etwas wie eine Friedenslinie. Der illegale Migrant aus Sri Lanka versucht einen sicheren Bereich im Viertel abzugrenzen, den die verfeindeten Banden nicht überqueren sollen... mehr auf cinegeek.de

A highly topical film about immigrants and the hopelessness of it. You really feel for Dheepan and his "family". They do try to the best of their ability to fit in, but get easily discouraged in a depressing environment. Doesn't fully take advantage of what it has. While the acting feels legit and heartfelt, the story doesn't go too deep in what I hope was a fictional crime city. Regardless of what's here and not, it's rewarding viewing and gives important insight to a refugee situation.

All Audiard seems to know is how to make a gangster movie.

What results in a fairly obvious film that at least never gets too finger-waving, this shows a real slice of life and every slice of that, whether it be working, arguing, making love, raising a child, all seen through the unique situation this immigrant "family" faces in desperate times. Easy-going and enjoyable, and the ending is quite the payoff when we see what a badass our main man can be.

Some might find this on the nose and implausible and I understand that perspective. But, "Logic is dull"* and the strength of the actors and the intimacy of their performances carries the movie a long way. Assimilation is a struggle, clearly. Note*: Quoting my main man Hitchcock. Fun fact: Antonythasan Jesuthasan actually was a Tamil tiger, apparently.

Very moving and atmospheric. The characters are flawlessly developed and so is their inter-twined evolution. Some scenes are almost mythical. I feel like i should watch it again.