A riveting drama that steers clear of biopic clichés.

Rating: 8/10 (25 January 2017)

This Australia-India co-production has been a heavyweight in the awards season, having picked up multiple Golden Globe and Oscar nominations, and it's not hard to see why. Based on an incredible true story, Lion opens with the harrowing journey of 5-year-old Indian boy Saroo Brierley, who is separated from his family after being trapped on a cargo train that terminates in Calcutta, some 1600km away from his hometown in Khandwa. Anchored by an outstanding turn from newcomer Sunny Pawar, the first half is a devastating look at how easily children can become lost in the over-populated India, and how the terror is amplified when so few people—even those charged to protect citizens—seem to care. It's a relief to Saroo then, albeit tentatively and sceptically at first, that he's saved from his prison-esque orphanage by a sweet Tasmanian couple who, through genuine love and care, wish to provide him a fruitful childhood he otherwise would have missed. When we meet adult Saroo (Dev Patel) two decades later he is about to head off to university in Melbourne, blessed with a wonderful upbringing, a loving family and bright future ahead. Yet there's something nagging him, an underlying issue of identity and loss that is bubbling away underneath the surface. Saroo's search for home could have bogged down the second half in cliché and melodrama, but Patel's performance is so full of complexity and charisma that it grounds the unbelievable sequence of events in heartfelt realism. Despite sharing a cute chemistry together, Saroo's complicated romance with American exchange student Lucy (Rooney Mara) feels like an unnecessary subplot, but his unique relationship with adoptive mother Sue (a terrific Nicole Kidman) is captivating. Refining his trade on the haunting mini-series Top of the Lake, Aussie director Garth Davis' leap into feature films is a successful one; Lion is a riveting drama worthy of all the awards attention it has received.