Lion

 

Lion 2016

• Director: Garth Davis
• Also seen by this director: Top of the Lake
• Based on a book by Saroo Brierley
• Cast: Dev Patel, Sunny Pawar, Nicole Kidman, Rooney Mara, Divian Ladwa, David Wenham, Deepti Naval, Priyanka Bose, Abhishek Bharati
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Deval Patel – Hotel Mumbai, The Man Who Knew Infinity, Chappie, Hotel Marigold 1&2, Slumdog Millionaire
• Nicole Kidman – Destroyer, Top of the Lake, Genius, Queen of the Desert, Strangerland, Before I Go to Sleep, The Railway Man, Rabbit Hole, Nine, Moulin Rouge, Australia, Margot at the Wedding, Fur, The Interpreter, Cold Mountain, The Human Stain, Dogville, The Hours, Birthday Girl, The Others, Eyes Wide Shut, Practical Magic, Billy Bathgate
• David Wenham – Top of the Lake, Pirates of the Caribbean, Public Enemies, Australia, Lord of the Rings etc, Moulin Rouge
• Why? Dev Patel.
• Seen: 30 January 2021.      

       Five-year-old Saroo (Pawar) and his big brother Guddu (Bharati) do everything together. Misfortune separates them and Saroo is trapped on a train that brings him to Calcutta, hundreds of kilometres away. Nobody understands him when he tells them the name of his village and he only knows his mother as ‘Mamma’.  Through channels he doesn’t understand he is adopted by a Tasmanian couple, Sue (Kidman) and John (Wenham). They’re loving, kind, and wealthy and the little boy grows up (Patel).

       And suffers a severe identity crisis. He becomes haunted by the need to find his biological family.

       It could have verged into Hallmark sentimentality, but it doesn’t. It’s very gripping and Patel is, as always, very strong in the role. It’s a true story, based on Saroo’s book.

 

4 ½* of 5