Skip to main content

Movie Review: "Lion" is an Extraordinary Story Beautifully Told

LION
Starring Dev Patel, Rooney Mara, Nicole Kidman, David Wenham and Sunny Pawar
Based on the book "A Long Way Home" by Saroo Brierly
Screenplay by Luke Davies
Directed by Garth Davis

Reviewed by Paul & Patrick Gibbs



 Out of Four


It's almost a shame to write a review for this movie, because it's such an amazing story and so unforgettable that the ideal way to view it is to go in knowing as little as possible. But it's the kind of movie that we love to champion and encourage people not to miss.  So, if that is enough to talk you into giving the movie a chance, stop reading right now and just go see the film today.

For the rest of you: Lion tells the true story of a Saroo, a five-year old Indian boy in 1986, who livesin poverty, but relative happiness, with a  loving family. His mother works in construction, barely making enough for the family to survive, so Saroo and his older brother Guddu take to begging for food and money at the railway station, and Guddu is even able to find sporadic work sweeping the floors of train carriages. One evening, when Guddu goes to ride the train to the city in search of work, Saroo comes along. Saroo is so tired that he collapses onto a seat on the platform. Feeling guilty for taking the younger boy out so late at night, Guddu tells his little brother to wait and promises to be back shortly.

But when Guddu does not return, Saroo becomes impatient and boards an empty carriage, hoping to find his brother. When he can't find Guddu, Saroo falls asleep. He awakes the next morning to find the train travelling across unfamiliar country, and he is trapped inside for hours. When the train finally stops, the young boy is in a strange place thousands of miles from his hometown, and unable to communicate as almost no one around him speaks Hindi.

From here, Saroo is forced to survive the best he can on the streets, narrowly avoiding some truly horrifying experiences.

Eventually, he is adopted and sent to live with a couple in Hobart, Australia (Nicole Kidman and
David Wenham) who eventually adopt a second Indian boy. Saroo is loved in his new home, and when the story picks up 20 years later, Saroo (now played by Dev Patel) is happy young man. He is a student, looking at a career in hotel management, and he has a beautiful girlfriend named Lucy (Rooney Mara.). He has a life that any would envy, and no reason to change it. But when a memory of his brother is triggered at a party, he realizes that the story of his life in India isn't over yet.

Lion will be dismissed by some as a Hollywood feel good movie, and that is entirely their loss. It is an emotional tour de force that not only tugs at the heart strings but forces the viewer to look back on their own life, and to look inward and think about the experiences and people that have made them who they are. Saroo's journey, both physical and emotional, are more gripping than any fictional epic adventure story, and the prize that may or not await him at the end is far greater than any ancient artifact or treasure. This is a story about what it means to be human, to love and to be loved, brotherhood, and duty to family. It is a story of good and evil, of heartbreak and joy, and of profound truth and insight.

Director Garth Davis, in his feature debut, establishes himself as a filmmaker to watch for, deftly handling the performances (including the young children, Sunny Pawar and Abhisek Bharate, who deserve much more attention than they are getting for this film.).  His visual style is nothing groundbreaking but it's skilled and smooth, with a great sense of pacing. He runs the very real danger of losing our interest with the romantic subplot between Patel and Mara (both of whom are quite good, but given the rest of the story it deserves minimal attention), but he manages to provide some charming moments even in the film's most conventional plot thread., and he keeps it short. While Lucy is based on a real person, the desire to insert a romance teeters on being a Hollywood touch, but it's not fair to dismiss it. In order for the full power of the story to be maintained, the audience needs to see that Saroo has every reason to be content where he is in life and not look back, and Mara, talented and engaging actress that she is, provides that very effectively.

Nicole Kidman gives a superb supporting turn as Saroo's adopted mother, hardly a glamorous character but arguably the best role she's been given in years, and the scenes between Kidman and Patel are beautiful and surprisingly subtle. Patel manages to truly step out of the shadow of Slumdog Millionaire for the first time in his career, and the biggest triumph of the film is how much we grow to love these characters. In particular, Saroo's relationships with long lost older brother Guddu, and his troubled adopted brother Mantosh (Divian Ladwa) are riveting and deeply touching. This movie made us cry just talking about it afterwards, to say nothing of the actual viewing, but it never falsely manipulates your emotions. It's both the sincerity at the heart of the story and the strange mix between a life story we can't even imagine going through and the moments that are universal to childhood and growing up that make this one so completely satisfying.

Lion may not be toward the top of your list for the holiday movie season, but it should be. It will stick in your head, and your heart, forever.

The Bearded Trio - The Site For Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, John Williams and a whole lot more.

THE BEARDED TRIO ON FACEBOOK
THE BEARDED TRIO ON TWITTER
THE BEARDED TRIO ON GOOGLE+
THE BEARDED TRIO ON PINTEREST

CLICK HERE FOR FACTS ON STEVEN SPIELBERG
CLICK HERE FOR FACTS ON GEORGE LUCAS
CLICK HERE FOR FACTS ON JOHN WILLIAMS

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Did Paul Freeman Accidentally Eat A Fly In Raiders of the Lost Ark?

The Famous Indiana Jones Fly In Belloq's Mouth Scene.  Did It Really Happen? I've always wondered if Paul Freeman unintentionally consumed a fly in this scene in  Raiders of the Lost Ark ?  It's the scene where Indiana Jones shouts down to Bellosh...I mean Belloq and threatens to blow up the ark.  Did a fly go in his mouth? I remember watching this scene back in the early eighties and my ten year old mind thought he definitely had a snack while filming.  I recall talking about 'flygate' in my school playground at the time and the general consensus with my friends was that Freeman definitely had a sneaky snack. Paul Freeman talks about the famous 'fly' scene in an interview with TheIndyExperience.com  and settled 'flygate:' This is a bit of a dicey question so don’t get too upset. (Laughs) A movie’s always got bloopers in it, some have a lot, and some only have three or four. And the most remarkable blooper was right before the opening of th...

Star Wars VII Movie Poster - Every End Is A New Beginning

Star Wars VII Movie Poster Just saw this Star Wars VII movie poster on Kyle Newman's Facebook fee d.  The poster is by  Lyndon Berresford and Paul Bateman.  I am loving this.  Who do you think the two characters are?  Lando and Leia?  Han and Leia's children? Have you seen other Star Wars VII movie posters?  Let me know. Rob Wainfur @welshslider

Explaining That "Weird" Cut In Poltergeist. Read The Missing Scene

Why Is There A Strange Cut In The 1982 Horror Classic, Poltergeist? If you're a fan of the 1982 Horror classic, Poltergeist then you will be very familiar with that "weird" cut in the movie.  It's 32 minutes and 47 seconds in to the movie and the scene is where Diane is explaining the strange phenomenon that is happening in the kitchen.  First, she shows to Steve a chair scraping across the floor all on its own then she does the same with Carol Anne.  Steve leans up against the kitchen wall and is completely shocked at what just happened.  It's at this point Diane starts to explain the sensation of being pulled and then...A very abrupt cut.  One moment we are listening to Diane and suddenly it cuts to Diane and Steve at their next door neighbours door.  Why the sudden cut?  It's on the VHS, DVD, Blu-Ray and even the streaming versions.  Why does this awful and weird cut exist in the movie, Poltergeist?  Watch the clip below to see the cut...