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It is a jungle out there!

Dheepan (Bilingual; Yaalpaanam Tamil and French; 2015)

 When refugees are given space to stay in a vicinity, it is not just physical space they need. They would need social and psychological support to carry on life. After all the push factors that drove them from their comfort zone, the devastations that they had endured, the love ones that they had lost, PTSD is a real problem which needs to be handled tactfully. They do not come alone. With them come the baggage of young ones who need to be paved for a future where they can fend for themselves. There are bound to be people who are non-conformists and natural fighter-cocks who would just  rebel without a cause. Bad apples are everywhere. Crime and social disharmony amongst themselves and with other communities may strain the policing duties.

Refugees and immigrants, who are usually in the prime of the lives, will have dreams and desires, be it for the future or for carnal gratifications. Hence, sexual and reproductive concerns need to be addressed. In other words, receiving refugees is not simply processing people, quarantining them and repatriating them to other shores. It is the whole package, sometimes to grave and from cradle...

This Palme d'Or (Highest award in Cannes festival) winner the plight of three Sri Lankan Tamil refugees who try to start life afresh in France, without much success. Dheepan is a Tamil Tiger freedom fighter who lost his wife and kids in the bombing. When an international relief team comes ashore in war-torn Sri Lanka, total strangers teamed up to pose as family members to qualify for repatriation. Yalini picks up a 9 year old orphan from the street to act as her daughter while she herself lies to be Dheepan's 'wife' to get a passport to freedom. Dheepan uses a dead man's passport as his new identity!

The 'family' soon realises that the residential complex that they are placed in is no different than the war-torn zone that they escaped. Dheepan works as a janitor in a complex that houses refugees from North Africa as well. Gangs terrorise and guns are used frequently. The vibes that the environment gave was anything but safe. The 'daughter' Illayal, learns to blend with her schoolmates with a little difficulty.

Meanwhile, Dheepan and Yalini starts developing feelings. Memories of their turmoils in their hometown keep rearing the ugly head. In the course of their duties, (Yalini works as a helper to a demented Algerian man whose son is a big time thug), they get embroilled in the crossfire of a territorial feud between gangs. Things turn ugly. It is reminiscent of the clash of LTTE and the Government forces once again! The war never left them.

It is a deeply engaging movie. Characters are not so two dimensional. Even the meanest of the people have their gentle sides. 
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