A Sentimental & Harrowing Journey

Rating: 8/10 (29 January 2017)

LION is the story of a boy, Saroo, who goes missing for 25 years from his Indian home.
This film plays on the emotions of loneliness, sadness, regret, and acceptance to convey the journey that Saroo is experiencing. It may teeter on the edge of over-doing it with it's grand and sweeping score and crying followed by hugs, yet it ends up being quite justified, considering this is an extraordinary true story.
The acting in the film is very well executed. Nicole Kidman shines as the loving and confused mother of Saroo and his brother, Mantosh. Kidman smiles through the pain of the absence of Mantosh, and sometimes Saroo, as well. Sunny Pawar holds his own very strongly for the first hour of LION. He's fun-loving and charismatic, and also distraught, closed off, and alone. Pawar is virtually the only character for a good part of this film, up until Kidman comes into play, and he is phenomenal. Dev Patel is able to to portray the still-lingering feelings of loss and abandonment while trying to stay true to his adoptive family. Patel wrestles these emotions and emotes frustration off of the scree. Finally, Rooney Mara's character. I am a firm and unmoving Rooney Mara supporter; I believe she is a fantastic and understated actress who knows how to pick a film to star in (exlcuding PAN). There's no doubt that she is great in LION and that she does all the she can with what she has here; the problem is that there's not a lot there. Mara's character barely progresses the story along and is only there to add frustration and support to Dev Patel's character. I understand she was an important figure in Saroo's life so the film can't just completely exclude her, yet it almost brushes her aside, just like the adoptive father character. It's a shame to see Rooney's full talent go unused.
Overall, this is crowd-pleasing, emotional, and investing film that uses all of it's emotion button-pushing with just the right amount. Paired with beautiful cinematography, a riveting score, powerful performances, and an ending that will stay with you; LION proves to be one of the better films of 2016.