Lion (2016)

• Year: 2016
• Released: 06 Jan 2017
• Country: Australia, United Kingdom, United States, India
• Adwords: Nominated for 6 Oscars. 59 wins & 110 nominations total
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3741834/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/lion
• Metacritics: https://www.metacritic.com/movie/lion
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: English, Hindi, Bengali
• MPA Rating: PG-13
• Genre: Biography, Drama
• Runtime: 118 min
• Writer: Saroo Brierley, Luke Davies
• Director: Garth Davis
• Cast: Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman, Rooney Mara
• Keywords: based on novel or book, biography, based on true story, based on a true story, australia,

	8.0/10
	69/100

Lion Storyline

Saroo Brierley grew up one of two adopted sons of South Asian descent of Caucasian couple Sue and John Brierley in Hobart, Tasmania, Saroo, approaching age six, joining the family in 1987, his brother, Mantosh Brierley, joining the family one year later. At the time, Saroo, solely speaking Hindi and not Bengali as would be expected from the location, was discovered alone on the streets of Calcutta, a search for his biological family which yielded nothing. While Saroo eventually adjusted well to the situation of life within a white family in Australia, Mantosh, suffering from ADHD, never did despite the support of the family, especially Sue. While away at school in Melbourne in a hotel management program in 2008, Saroo, triggered by a sensory touchstone, begins to remember that he didn’t actually grow up in Calcutta, but somewhere else in India – he remembering the name “Ganestalay”, probably a mispronunciation of an actual geographic place or an unofficial name of a neighborhood – one of three offspring of a single, illiterate mother, he, having been separated from his older brother Guddu one night at the local train station, stumbling onto an empty train in searching for a comfortable place to sleep which led to his unexpected two day journey to Calcutta. Spurred by his friends to use the technology of the day, most specifically Google Earth in remembering a local landmark at that train station, Saroo goes on a technological search for his pre-Calcutta life, most specifically his biological family. This process begins to alienate himself from Sue and John, who he doesn’t tell in not wanting to appear ungrateful to them, and his Caucasian girlfriend Lucy in the guilt of what ended up being his privileged life while his biological family had nothing.

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Lion Movie Reviews

Roars like a near mighty lion

‘Lion’ showed a lot of promise. There was potential for a very powerful story, had heard a lot of good things about it (as seen from many positive reviews and a high rating here) and there is a lot of talent involved. A lot of my friends had said how much it touched them, as have many reviewers here, and it seemed like my kind of film.

Fortunately, ‘Lion’ was a film that had great potential and mostly lived up to it. Cannot say that for many recent viewings, with a few too many wastes of good concepts and potential (along with wastes of talent, that is a bugbear of mine because it feels like somewhat of a slap of the face) so that there was a film that did not waste it was refreshing and restored a bit of faith. It is a very good film, albeit it was very nearly a great film. That it wasn’t the great film all the way through than when it started is something of a shame, but there are so many great qualities all the same.

It is an uneven film sure, starting with the negatives. The second half is not as strong as the first half, it is not as compellingly paced and the clarity of storytelling is less good, some of it feeling vague. That is not to say it is unwatchable, it is still touching in spots in a film that is quite the emotional experience.

Rooney Mara also came over to me as the cast’s weak link. She didn’t look very interested and her character felt like a misplaced and underwritten plot device.

However, ‘Lion’s’ first half is wonderful. Hugely compelling and very emotional, and what is meant by why the film very nearly was great. The whole film though was poignant, and count me in as another film who has become tougher generally over the year but got through several tissues by the film’s end.

Throughout, ‘Lion’ is beautifully filmed and complements the beautiful sceneries very well. Scoring and sound never come over as obvious or intrusive. The script provokes thought, charms and moves. The story is never dull and the emotional impact never feels forced or manipulative.

Garth Davis does a very good job directing. Aside from Mara, the cast are very good. Dev Patel’s performance here is perhaps the best seen from him personally and David Wenham and Nicole Kidman are similarly excellent. The star here though is Sunny Pawar who is just outstanding, have not seen a child performance this good in a long time, it is perhaps among the best ever.

In conclusion, very good and very nearly great. 8/10 Bethany Cox

harrowing first half

It’s 1986. Saroo and his brother Guddu steal coal from passing trains. Their mother is an illiterate laborer. The family scraps by in rural India. Guddu leaves Saroo sleeping at the train station for night work. Saroo wakes up and stumbles into an empty train. He find himself trapped as the train travels 1600 miles to Calcutta. He is alone in the city and unable to speak the local dialect. He escapes the scary streets and gets taken to a Dickensian orphanage. He is adopted by Sue (Nicole Kidman) and John Brierley (David Wenham) from Tasmania. Twenty years later, he moves to Melbourne to study hotel management and starts a relationship with Lucy (Rooney Mara). Friends suggest using Google Earth to pinpoint his lost home town.

The first half with young Saroo is a harrowing journey. The nightmarish streets are closer to the horror genre. It’s a very compelling story. The kid is undeniable. Once he leaves for Australia, the story slows down. There are some compelling aspects but it falters when compared to the first half. That imbalance leaves the movie wanting. Maybe it’s possible to add more flashbacks into the second half.

A Gripping Story That Could Have Been Better

To start with, I really enjoyed the film. It impressed me, even though I already knew the whole story. That takes some doing. The story of the young boy, the first half of the film, gives us a view of the sadness that takes place because of over-population. People live on a subsistence, but somehow many manage. Of course, many do not. Saroo goes with his brother to steal coal off the trains. It is utterly dangerous with possible death around each corner. They manage to trade their coal for a couple small bags of milk which they take home. The older brother can work and Saroo is a pest. He manages to talk his brother into taking him to a new job site by train, but he gets separated and the rest is history. We see the little guy trying to figure a way to get back to his village but he can’t name it or his mother’s name (he calls her Mum). He manages to get away from some nasty people, probably avoiding being sold into prostitution. Through a series of events, he winds up with an Australian family which adopts him and another boy who is severely, emotionally disturbed. If someone had done a little script work to bridge a twenty-five year gap, it would have helped tremendously. We now have Saroo as a man. He has been accepted into white (and brown) society. He has an attractive girlfriend played by Rooney Mara. But he is conflicted. He hates his brother because he shows disrespect for their adoptive parents. He has also begun to long for his original home. Bits and pieces of his life before the age of five have crept into his mind. Had there been even a few minutes for us to get to know when this longing started. Also, some of the specifics of life with the second brother. A psychological framework for his feelings. There is so much angst in the older Saroo. It could have been sold better. It would have made very good film a great one and could have been done without making it too long. The little boy who played little Saroo has such an expressive face. Beautiful.