Unbelievable tear-jerker

Rating: 7/10 (18 June 2017)

Lion tells the story of a very young boy in India who gets separated from his family for 25 years and his struggle to piece together his past.
Dev Patel plays the older Saroo and is outstanding. He delivers terrific emotion at all the right times. Nicole Kidman is of course outstanding as his adoptive mother. But the real star is the young boy Sunny Pawar who plays the young Saroo. He was just outstanding for such a young actor.
I think the movie could have been better by shortening the sequences of Saroo's anguishing over his past. And we would have benefited from learning more about Saroo and Mantosh. It would have been great to see more growing up scenes with Kidman, though you got enough of a picture to see that the kids were treated wonderfully.
The Hollywood ending isn't one, because it's a totally true story, which makes Lion even more unbelievable. This is the kind of movie to watch when you think YOU are having trouble. Think of this poor young boy lost and alone in a city of millions and your problems should drift away.
Roony Mara's role as the older love interest seemed to be like a throw in, just as a foil for Patel. I wonder if she was real or added in.
Anyhow, solid acting, great cinematography, you'll love Lion. It could just have been tightened up in editing a bit more. Enjoy