Comment on Immigrants flee 1 violent situation for another in 'Dheepan'

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A trio of Sri Lankan strangers pretends to be a family to flee their war-torn country for France in the drama "Dheepan," which is finally opening in U.S. theaters after winning the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival last year. The setting establishes both cultural and language barriers for his three outsiders who unwittingly find themselves in yet another violent situation — a suburban housing project with a gang presence — despite their efforts to create lives of relative normalcy and peace. Speaking through a translator, Audiard explained he wanted to give a face and a voice to the immigrant experience without softening the psychological effects of their former circumstances. In France, he found both his lead actor, author Antonythasan Jesuthasan, a former teenage Tamil Tiger who found refuge in France, and the young girl who becomes his de facto daughter in the new arrangement, Claudine Vinasithamby. Anchoring a film with mostly unprofessional actors speaking in a non-native language proved to be quite an interesting challenge for Audiard, who would sometimes do 20 takes for a scene — quite different from his experience working with stars like Marion Cotillard and Matthias Schoenaerts for his last film, "Rust and Bone."