Strong First Half, Weaker Second Half

Rating: 7/10 (29 January 2017)

You will be tempted, when thinking about whether or not to see the Oscar nominated film, LION, to recall back to another Oscar nominated film set primarily in India - SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE. Don't do it. This film does not hold a candle to SLUMDOG.
That doesn't make this a bad film.
LION tells the story of Saroo, who, as a child, is separated from his family and becomes a homeless child on the streets of Calcutta. Eventually, he is adopted by a couple in Australia. 25 years later, he is haunted by his past and sets out to find his hometown, and his birth family.
Sounds like a heartwarming tale that will fill you with love and tears in the end, doesn't it? If only that were the case. This film spends A lot of time watching our hero search the Internet (perhaps the appearance of a search bar in the films poster should have been a giveaway). To be fair, this is a truthful way of showing how this "based on a true story" film played out in real life. The only problem is that this is not very compelling for a film audience and this bogs down the film at the crucial 2/3 part of the film, thus washing away most of the good performances, good filmmaking and good will that this film had built up
But the build up is quite good.
I usually start with the performances, but I think this film needs to start with the atmosphere, setting and mood. Director Garth Davis is known primarily as an Artist and Designer and it shows. The mood that is reflected in the pictures that he shows on the screen are strong (especially at the beginning), his use of music to reflect what is occurring is an aide to the story he wants to tell and the colors he employs help to bring forth the story. This is both a blessing and a curse, for there are stretches of just "mood" and, after awhile, it bogged the story down.
As for the acting, Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman both, rightfully, achieved Supporting nominations for their work here. Patel is growing stronger as an actor and is the anchor of the second half of this film as the older Saroo. In limited screen time, Kidman, is very good as Saroo's adoptive mother and has the "Academy Award Scene" of this film. Both are helped by strong performances by Rooney Mara and David Wenham as Saroo's girlfriend and adoptive father. The problem is that all 4 of these performances are in the 2nd half of the film, the weaker half.
The stronger first half of the film is anchored by a charming performance by Sunny Pawar as the young Saroo. He moves through his adventures with aplomb, grit and a sense of "moving forward' that instantly gets you rooting for him, so you are thrilled when he succeeds by getting adopted.
There are missteps in this film - almost all in the 2nd half. As I stated, we spend a good deal of time watching Saroo search the Internet. His obsession with finding his birth location turns this lovable character into something less than lovable. While it is "true to life" it is always disappointing to see the change in someone. This change was so jarring that I wasn't rooting for him at the end and the climax was anti-climactic for me. There also is a sub-plot involving Saroo's adoptive brother that never really goes anywhere and Rooney Mara's character becomes bland.
But,despite these, this is a film that you should see. It brings the American audience into a world that we haven't seen much of - and that is fascinating, and guided by a charming young presence that makes this journey that is worth taking.
Letter grade: B
7 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank (ofMarquis)