2016 ( Australia | USA | UK ) ( Biography, Drama )
STARRING: Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman, Sunny Pawar, Rooney Mara
DIRECTOR: Garth Davis
Garth Davis’s film tells the remarkable true story of Saroo Brierley, who in 1981 was born into a poor family in rural, central India. Five-year-old Saroo Brierley (Sunny Pawar) is separated from his dirt-poor family when he falls asleep aboard a train and finds himself 1,300 miles away in Calcutta. After scrapping a living on the streets, he’s admitted to an orphanage where he is adopted by an Austrailian foster family. A couple of decades later, Saroo (now played by Dev Patel) sets off to find his real mum …with the help of Google Earth.
Dev Patel brings his A-game to the leading role, newcomer Sunny Pawar is wonderful as his character’s younger self and Nicole Kidman gives a very decent performance as the adoptive mother. Lion’s undeniably uplifting story and talented cast make it a moving journey that transcends the typical clichés of its genre. This big-hearted film does full justice to the horror, the pathos and the drama of his postmodern odyssey.
(1hr 58min)