Pretty cool story that could easily make you cry.

Rating: 7/10 (20 April 2018)

Maybe this was an issue that other people experienced and maybe not, but I watched this movie on Netflix and for some reason, the subtitles from the fist half of the movie started playing during the second half. I later confirmed that this wasn't supposed to happen, but while I was watching it, my mom went off on this theory that it was intentional and the subtitles were showing up later because Saroo was remembering all the things from his journey as a five-year-old. While this doesn't really apply to the movie that you'll probably see, it does speak to the quality of the movie. First of all, it shows that, even though the subtitle thing wasn't intentional, there was enough thought put into the movie that it seemed plausible that it might have been intentional. Also, I don't think I actually missed that much by not seeing the subtitles the whole first half. I felt like I understood everything that was happening, which speaks well to the acting and directing and content of the scenes.
I didn't find that I was terribly moved by the movie, but I can see how many people would be and I've had a couple people tell me that they cried at it. I definitely felt for the five-year-old Saroo as he made his way through India. The Revenant may have taken place under more extreme conditions, but I was more invested in and impressed by Saroo's survival. Things slow down a bit after he gets adopted, and the scenes of Saroo trying to find his way back home were less engaging to watch. It is pretty amazing that he was able to find his way back after so many years having only distant memories to guide him, but I think there were just less stakes with it. I can see how it would have been very emotional for Saroo since he had no idea if his family would even be alive if and when he did find them. But the suspense just wasn't real for me as a detached audience member and it made the ending flatter.
There is a decent amount of attention given to Saroo's foster parents, and even his other adopted brother. It made me think more about the idea of adopting kids in a way that makes me now more supportive of it.
The Oscars verdicts for this movie I think were just. It didn't deserve to win, but the nominations it got were earned. It definitely has the potential to be one of your favorite movies of 2016, maybe even your favorite movie overall if you can relate to enough of it. For most people, though, I would say that you will appreciate it and maybe enjoy it. It's not forgettable at all, but neither is it anything that special. It's in the upper half of movies based on fact, but is hardly the best in an objective sense. But if you're the type of person who likes movies that make you cry, you will not want to miss this. Overall Rating 7.5/10.