The only 2016's film that got me close to shedding some damn tears.

Rating: 9/10 (9 February 2017)

It's a story that normally would find its place as a Hallmark Movie of the Week or a crass commercial television production but in the capable hands of director Garth Davis and a great cast, Lion manages to bypass the easy sentimentality of many of its kind to provide a cinematic experience that is intensely moving and emotionally true. The first half is an incredible example of pure cinema when, in scenes almost devoid of dialogue, the young Saroo (played by the wonderful Sunny Pawar) is separated from his family. The second half doesn't quite reach the same cinematic heights as the first but the acting of Nicole Kidman, Rooney Mara, David Wenham and a top-form Dev Patel anchor the narrative in a way that never renders a false note. All in all, a beautifully executed tug at the heartstrings.