Review by John Delia
Most foreign films are sidestepped in the United States for various reasons especially due to having to read subtitles. Because of this some excellent films are avoided by many and they lose the experience of outstanding stories. I am hoping that this will not be the case for the movie Lion that will be in theaters around America starting on December 21.
The film outshines many of the movies made here in USA and the heartfelt true story of Lion delivers amazing acting, direction and cinematography. It’s not about the jungle animal, but refers to the strength of a young boy who tries to survive alone in a threatening world.
Young Saroo (Sunny Pawar) and his brother Guddu Khan (Abhishek Bharate) are inseparable at their small village of Khandwa in less inhabited North Central India. Saroo being the youngest in his family is very curious about the world outside the town. His older brother Guddu has set his sights on a better life elsewhere and his daring has brought him to the point of hopping trains.
Photo: Mark Rogers
Occasionally his brother calls Saroo from the rocky field where he is playing and takes him to a moving train where they hop on. He and Guddu work together stealing coal from the train’s fuel car to sell at the local market. But, Guddu wants to make a big money for his family and for this he needs to jump on a train and go further than he has ever gone before. Begging to go along, Saroo finally convinces Guddu that he would be a good helper.
The two boys ride the train throughout the day and into the evening finally coming to Burhanpur Station. There Guddu tells Saroo to wait at the station while he looks for work in the nearby town. Not returning after many hours Saroo climbs onto an empty train where he falls asleep. When he awakens the train has picked up speed and has gone hundreds of miles. When it finally stops Saroo finds himself in a strange big city where thousands of people are moving on foot, car and bicycle in all directions.
Photo: Courtesy of The Weinstein Company
Now lost, Saroo must try to find his way home. All the above happens in the first ten minutes of the movie. Fledgling director Garth Davis tells the true story based on Saroo Brierley’s book “A Long Way Homeâ€. The film shows the overwhelming odds against the young boy ever finding his home. The journey becomes a rough one, evading ruthless people, starving, taking shelter in dangerous places and targeted by a predator for slavery. Davis keeps his film compelling, filming in areas where the boy actually traveled. He takes us into the crowded cities where hundreds of other young lost or abandoned children are rounded up by the government. Their fate lies in the hands of a few government social workers who try to find their parents or give them up for adoption.
The story spans a long period of time from seven-years-old Saroo to his college years with excellent acting by the whole cast. Key roles are performed by formidable actors including Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) as the older Saroo. In Lion he becomes the lost child in his twenties having grown up as the adopted child of John and Sue Brierley (played by David Wenham and Nicole Kidman). With a very profound performance we see Saroo take on a relentless effort to find his way back to his mother. The actor stands a good chance at a nomination for an Oscar for this performance.
But the film goes to a youngster in his first movie, Sunny Pawar as the young Saroo. He gives a fabulous performance under the guidance of director Garth Davis and makes the film work. He shows Saroo as a brave, strong willed and smart boy who’s trapped in a crowded land where most people are looking out for themselves by avoiding their own bad fate. Sorrowful and heartbreaking, through the beautiful exploring eyes of the young boy we see his story as Saroo tries to avoid being eaten up in a world gone mad.
Lion has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA for thematic material and some sensuality. The movie gets played out in the Bengali and Hindi languages used even today in different parts of India. There are several scenes in the film where English is spoken, especially when the film moves on to Dev Patel’s depiction of the older Saroo. There’s heartbreaking scenes of abusive care by the caretakers in the government holding buildings where the hundreds of children are kept. So be cautious when deciding to allow immature children see the movie.
FINAL ANALYSIS: One of my top ten films for 2016 and a prime movie for several Oscar nominations. (5 out of 5 Stars)
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Dev Patel, Sunny Pawar, Rooney Mara, David Wenham, Nicole Kidman, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Abhishek Bharate, Divian Ladwa
Directed by: Garth Davis
Genre: Drama, True Story, Foreign
Language: English, Bengali, Hindi
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for thematic material and some sensuality
Running Time: 2 hrs. 1min.
Release Date: December 21-2016
Distributed by: The Weinstein Company