A Gripping Story That Could Have Been Better

Rating: 8/10 (5 February 2017)

To start with, I really enjoyed the film. It impressed me, even though I already knew the whole story. That takes some doing. The story of the young boy, the first half of the film, gives us a view of the sadness that takes place because of over-population. People live on a subsistence, but somehow many manage. Of course, many do not. Saroo goes with his brother to steal coal off the trains. It is utterly dangerous with possible death around each corner. They manage to trade their coal for a couple small bags of milk which they take home. The older brother can work and Saroo is a pest. He manages to talk his brother into taking him to a new job site by train, but he gets separated and the rest is history. We see the little guy trying to figure a way to get back to his village but he can't name it or his mother's name (he calls her Mum). He manages to get away from some nasty people, probably avoiding being sold into prostitution. Through a series of events, he winds up with an Australian family which adopts him and another boy who is severely, emotionally disturbed. If someone had done a little script work to bridge a twenty-five year gap, it would have helped tremendously. We now have Saroo as a man. He has been accepted into white (and brown) society. He has an attractive girlfriend played by Rooney Mara. But he is conflicted. He hates his brother because he shows disrespect for their adoptive parents. He has also begun to long for his original home. Bits and pieces of his life before the age of five have crept into his mind. Had there been even a few minutes for us to get to know when this longing started. Also, some of the specifics of life with the second brother. A psychological framework for his feelings. There is so much angst in the older Saroo. It could have been sold better. It would have made very good film a great one and could have been done without making it too long. The little boy who played little Saroo has such an expressive face. Beautiful.