Lion (2016) [Movie Review]

Dir: Garth Davis

Starring: Dev Patel, Rooney Mara, Nicole Kidman, David Wenham

Dur: 1 hr 58 mins

Genre: Biography
Rating: 9/10

For some time now, I had been postponing the chance to watch Lion. I knew that it was a Hollywood film with an Indian story and that it was nominated for some awards; what I didn’t know was that it was based on a true story and that it featured big names. Dev Patel’ picture was clear in my head and so I thought that it was some kind drama. However, the first half of the film never features Dev Patel or any of the other ‘big’ names that flash during the opening credits. Instead we are shown the adventures of a small, dirty, Rajasthani slum boy who accidentally is separated from his family. He wanders the unkind streets of Kolkatta and is preyed on by some slum-dwellers looking for quick cash in child trafficking. Luckily, he is perceptive of their intentions and courageous to flee danger. His running finally brings him to a home for street children run by the government. Not much is shown about the lifestyle there but in the little that is shown, strong messages are communicated. From the mouth of one young girl we hear, “This is a bad place” (in Hindi, of course, with English subtitles) and we see a boy being woken up and taken by an older man in the night (the implications are obvious). Again by a stroke of luck, Saroo, is adopted by a family in Australia and his life takes a turn (for better or worse you would have to decide).

The second part of the film features Dev Patel as grown up Saroo. It depicts a part of his life in Australia but focuses on his relationships with his brother, parents and girlfriend. Saroo realizes that a large part of his personality and identity is still missing despite being given opportunities he could never dream of. He begins to search for his missing self and family. The drama is palpable and pretty emotional. You are made to follow Saroo as he searches for his missing past while struggling to cope with the present. You can relate with him and his struggles. The climax is tear-jerking with a mix of contentment and sadness. The rollercoaster life of Saroo shows us the ugly face of India’s poor and profit-minded culture while also bringing out the value that family life has in India. No doubt the foreigners are given good treatment in the film but the Indian’s aren’t totally demeaned either.

I thoroughly enjoyed the film and almost shed a few tears at the end. The fact that it is a true-story only made the experience that much richer – the empathy for the protagonist and emotional responses were heightened. A cameo appearance of the real individuals at the end really stole the show for me and brought tears to my eyes.