Film Review: "Lion"

Lion (2016)

Just like in Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire (2008), Dev Patel proves once again to possess the strength and capability as an actor to deliver a powerful performance about a character with a complicated past and journey.

But don't get me wrong, though appearing to have very similar premises, Slumdog Millionaire and Garth Davis' Lion (2016) are very different journeys. While in Slumdog Millionaire 18-year-old Jamal (portrayed by Patel) tries to explain how he had gotten the questions right in the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? by reflecting on his complicated youth and journey of how he got to where he is today (ultimately fueled by his love for Latika, portrayed by Freida Pinto), Lion offers voice to a different kind of journey - equally important and well-executed - involving finding his birth family and, ultimately, his self-identity and peace within himself.

Garth David's Lion was truly a captivating ride - particularly through its cinematography and characters - that I truly found a connection with from the very beginning of the film.

In the first half of the film we are introduced to 5-year-old Saroo (Sunny Pawar), who gives us an authentic look to his life in India, particularly his relationship to those that matter dear to him: his mom (Priyanka Bose) and his older brother Guddu (Abhishek Bharate). Pawar's well-rounded performance proved that indeed age or how much acting experience you have doesn't define talent (Pawar had no acting experience prior to this film), as we saw determination, strength, and vulnerability all within the character of Saroo, truly captivating the complexity of this young character even with his nonverbal language. Bharate, who portrayed Saroo's older brother, also delivered a memorable performance, as right from the beginning of the film we were not only able to see the close relationship between between Saroo and Guddu, but we were able to feel it, this due to their evident on-screen chemistry, well-executed dialogue, and character action. It is then that when Guddu and Saroo get separated when Saroo falls asleep at a train station waiting for his brother that we too felt the sense of loss, confusion, and vulnerability that Saroo experiences as he tries to find his way home by wandering through various cities in India, evading being kidnapped, and finally being put in an orphanage. Ultimately Saroo is adopted a couple of months later by an Australian couple and relocates to Tasmania where they live, connecting us to the second part of the film.

It is here in the second half of the film that we are introduced to an older Saroo (portrayed by Dev Patel) who doesn't not let down picking up on Sunny Pawar's portrayal of young Saroo. Around twenty years have passed since he was adopted, and now Saroo has moved to Melbourne, is studying hotel management, and has begun a relationship with a girl named Lucy (Rooney Mara).

Though we at first see a seemingly happy, confident and friendly Saroo who is spreading his wings, slowly we see that not everything is perfect and there are still some underlying issues in Saroo's life during this time. Not only does Saroo have a troubling relationship with his adopted brother Mantosh (Divian Ladwa), but Saroo begins to show some self-identity issues and worries about how his birth family might be today after he sees a jalebi at a friend's home that reminds him of his childhood, these issues affecting his relationship with his family, particularly his adopted mom Sue (Nicole Kidman) and his girlfriend Lucy. Saroo becomes obsessed with locating his hometown via using Google Earth, has frequent childhood flashbacks, and is constantly thinking and worrying about how his birth family might be today, causing him to distance himself from the people he loves and ultimately creating a crack in his relationship with Lucy, this creating the sense of being lost that dominates this second half.

While the second half of the film didn't have the same strength and constant captivation as the first half of the film did, and instead had some slow moments, Dev Patel's portrayal of Saroo still doesn't disappoint, and we can definitely see and feel the self-identity struggles that Saroo feels. But for all that Saroo suffers and struggles, he and movie watchers alike are ultimately rewarded when Saroo is finally able to find the location of his hometown and reunite with his birth mother. Saroo is worried that his researching and trying to locate his birth family might upset his adopted parents, particularly his adopted mom Sue, but instead she is supportive of his journey and results in a memorable performance from the part of Kidman, who is queen of memorable performances.

Besides the amazing character portrayals, particularly by Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman, and first-time actors Sunny Pawar and Abhishek Bharate, two elements that stood out to me in this film were the fantastic cinematography and the film's adherence in creating an authentic setting. Unfortunately when some big commercial film productions make films dealing with foreign cultures or countries they don't always provide an accurate representation of the people involved or are motivated in creating a real and authentic representation of them, as well as their culture, way of life, and how their country actually is. But you don't have to worry about that in Davis' Lion, which was based on the real-life story of Saroo Brierley and aimed to preserve Saroo's story and its settings in India as authentic as possible, this strengthened and evident by the film's cinematography.

Ultimately the film concluded the way it should have: Sharoo finally reuniting with his birth family, messing with our hearts, and finding out that his name is actually Sheru, and it means "lion." He was an unconquerable lion on a journey, all along.

Final conclusion:

With that said, I ultimately rate this film 9.2/10.

Lion offered a genuine, captivating tale of a young boy who gets lost when he is just 5-years-old and is still lost more than 20 years later, offering hope and connecting movie watchers to its protagonist in a way surpassing most self-journey movies. I have to tip my hat to Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman, Sunny Pawar and Abhishek Bharate for providing great performances that helped Lion be as powerful as it truly was.