Dheep Movie Analysis: The Sri Lankan Civil War

Dheepan: Movie Analysis

‘Dheepan’ is the story of three Tamil refugees who escape the Sri-Lankan Civil War and come to France in hopes of living a better life away from fear and violence. After escaping the dire conditions of the Civil War, Sivadhasan, Yalini, and Illayaal, find themselves in Le Pré -a housing project in the suburbs of Paris. It is here that they try to make a home for themselves in their new community. Living in an increasingly globalized world helped the “family” stay connected to their people and culture, despite living in a different country away from Sri Lanka. Globalization also contributed to their exposure to different people and ways of living. Although the “family” tried to adapt to their new surroundings, problems such as living near violent drug dealers made the process of integration difficult. Dheepan is an important film as it explores the many challenges refugees and other migrants face when looking for a place to settle and call home.

The Sri Lankan Civil War was a violent and a complex social and political conflict fought between the Sri Lankan state and the Tamil guerrilla group, known as The

Although Dheepan has left his life as a Liberation Tiger behind in Sri Lanka, images and reminders of war are still visible in his day-to-day life in France. For instance, the media played a significant role in connecting Dheepan to the battlefront in Sri Lanka. While watching the news, Dheepan was able to see what the situation was like back home. Besides the images presented in the media, Dheepan was also connected to the war by interacting with LTTE loyalists who were living overseas in France. We see this happening later on in the film when Dheepan is forced by an LTTE commander to co-operate with the militant group. An increasing global connectivity means that war, like culture, is felt everywhere by everyone – no matter how far away one is from the center of the