Lion – Film Review

I first heard about this film during the rounds at the festival circuits of either Sundance or Toronto where people were raving about how awesome the film is. Hearing that it was based on a true story and seeing that this is a film which helps show more diverse stories that Hollywood needs to make more of also peaked my interest. The main star Dev Patel, plays a somewhat main role in showcasing the recent years of Saroo Brierley living in Australia searching for his family in India.

Having the first half of the film be mostly a foreign film was a strength to the picture. It brought a sense of realism to the struggle to be so far away. The boy actor did a great job in making the scenario the real Saroo go through feel all the more real, than it feeling glamorized. The only negative I have with the narrative is that I felt that there wasn’t enough development on the adult side with him trying to find his mother and brother. Though there are passes in time I felt more of the pain of him being lost but not in the pain of him finding his family.

Do you have any idea what it’s like? How everyday my mother screams my name?

I found the overall story such a strong voice for all children who are adopted looking for their birth family. There is such a problem with separated children who don’t have someone to raise them in that part of the world. I’m glad this story which went to book to film format was brought to light. The storyline that involved the adopted brother of Saroo was a little confusing. At first I thought that the film signified it didn’t work out and they had to send him back. But then he was later mentioned as to being off on his own was sudden. As a viewer I didn’t get enough context clues that this problem was ongoing and not a smaller issue.

The performances are great and are extremely powerful. Nicole Kidman and Dev Patel have one scene in particular that cemented the film in bottle. They were speaking about how Saroo feels terrible that his adoptive mother couldn’t have children and he didn’t want to disappoint her by looking for his biological family. Her words to him saying she could have chosen to have kids and she didn’t have a problem having them. She chose to have him and his other adoptive brother was so powerful. The final scene of the film showing not only their true reunion but the real footage of seeing the real Saroo with both his mothers meeting was a strong way to end the film.

There are so many ominous things in the media on how technology is portrayed as either harmful or destructive. This film showcases the positive outcomes of how we can use technology to help solve problems and give people hope in the dark.

9.5/10