A man has to reflect on hist true origins after being adopted from an orphanage in Calcutta.

Rating: 7/10 (6 February 2017)

This is classic schmaltz and I mean that in a positive way. Being based on a true story gives the film so much more latitude to turn up the emotional essence of the film, perhaps too much. The problem is, to do this you need to build a foundation for a film beyond its exceptional premise and here the film fails to deliver.
Lion is the true story of Saroo Brierly, who orphaned in Calcutta, is adopted by a family in Tasmania, Australia. Upon reaching adulthood he is haunted by the idea of who he is and where his biological family are. Using new technology such as Google Earth, he tracks them down even though he is a continent away.
It is very much a film of two halves. The first half is brilliant. In many respects it would have been interesting had the story stayed in India. The child actors especially both Sunny Pawar as young Saroo and Abhishek Bharate as Guddu, his brother, are amazing and both bring an energy and verisimilitude often missing in child actors. The film then jumps twenty years as we meet adult Saroo (Dev Patel) who is living a very privileged lifestyle with his adopted parents played by Nicole Kidman and David Wenham. As Saroo slowly questions his identity the film switches focus and here the film has a major problem.
The whole second act from this pivot is overblown and way too long.
A half hour could have easily been cut from this and it would have been a leaner and better film. The premise is just too slight for the running time and the viewer knowing they are being manipulated just wants the emotional payoff.
The acting in the adult cast is very good across the board. Patel really owns the role and it seems to reflect his growth from geeky man-boy into full maturity. Kidman does a lot of the emotional heavy lifting and is extremely good in a role you don't often associate with Kidman's icy demeanour.
Garth Davis is a debut director, though he is a known gun having directed a few episodes of the great "Top of the Lake" mini series. Davis shines in the scenes about atmosphere and almost like a documentarian in capturing the natural frame. However, when the film becomes about internalised emotions and is limited to screens and small rooms, there is a struggle to give the film the proper pacing needed.
I found it all a bit too manipulative but it a great story and most viewers will enjoy the ebb and flow of emotions. Plus, it is that rare film which is not animated but could be enjoyed by every generation of a family.