Riveting first half but movie loses luster in second half

Rating: 6/10 (4 January 2017)

"Lion" (2016 release from Australia; 118 min.) is "based on a true story", we are reminded at the beginning of the film, and brings the incredible story of Saroo. As the movie opens, we are in "Khandwa, India, 1986", and we see 5 yr. old Saroo and his older brother doing whatever they need to do to get by, hustling and bustling. During one of their outings, they get separated and Saroo mistakenly ends up on a train bound for Calcutta, 1000 mi. away. He desperately looks for his mom and his brother, to no avail (for one thing, the boy speaks Hindi and not Bengali), and eventually ends up being adopted by a couple in Tasmania, Australia... To tell you more of the story would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.
Couple of comments: this movie is the big screen adaptation of Saroo's memoir "A Long Way Home", and is directed by Australian newcomer Garth Davis. The movie can be roughly divided into two parts: in the initial 50 or so minutes, we follow the young Saroo as he gets separated from his family and eventually ends up in Calcutta. The second half of the movie brings us the grown-up Saroo, now fully integrated in Hobart, Tasmania in his adopted family. I personally LOVED the first half of the movie, which is truly heartbreaking as we follow young Saroo. There is little dialogue to speak of (remember, Saroo doesn't speak or understand Bengali), and in a way this is the truest survivor story you will ever see. The young actor portraying 5 yr. old Saroo is nothing short of sensational. The photography is gorgeous throughout. Things are not nearly as interesting in the movie's second half. Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire; Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) portrays the grown-up Saroo, and does so with pained passion. The same cannot be said of Rooney Mara's performance. I love most of the stuff she does, but here she looks strangely aloof in the proceedings, like she wasn't interested at all in this role (other than it being filmed on location in Tasmania). Nicole Kidman plays the adoptive mother. And am I the only one who was bothered with the way the movie becomes one long advert for Google Earth? On the plus side, there is an outstanding orchestral score, courtesy of Hauschka (!) and Dustin O'Halloran which I intend on seeking out (the movie also features a brand new Sia song "Never Gives Up" which plays over the end credits). A few weeks ago I heard an interview on NPR with the real life Saroo, discussing the film (and unfortunately giving away the entire story including how it all ends). Despite that, I was eager to see the movie.
"Lion" opened at the Toronto International Film Festival to good critical acclaim, and it finally opened in theaters in late December. The New Year's weekend matinée screening where I saw this at was attended quite nicely. I thought that the first half of the movie was nothing short of riveting, if heartbreaking, but the second half of the movie is too obvious and predictive too keep my attention all the way through. Still, this is an incredible story that is worth seeking out, be it in the theater, on Amazon Instant Video, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray.