A Journey Worth Taking

Rating: 7/10 (2 January 2017)

Lion isn't the most tightly directed film, nor the most emotionally impactful. But it's one of the most unique films I've seen this year. So much like Captain Fantastic, I really like the film as a whole, but I appreciate the film's originality even more.
I always love sitting down for a film that's structured entirely different than your prototypical movie thrown in theaters every weekend. I love blockbusters as much as the next guy, but there's something to be said about smaller and more independently made features. Lion is based on a true story about an adopted boy, Saroo, who uses google earth to try and find his original family from India.
As happens sometimes with true stories adapted into feature length films, it's difficult to structure a 2 hour story from events that took place over the course of several years. Lion begins when Saroo is only five years old, and spans over 20 years. To say this was a difficult story to adapt is an understatement, and I think this is the only area where the film really has some faults. After spending significant screen time with a young Saroo, you are asked to then follow a late 20's Saroo, played by Dev Patel, and it's not the smoothest of transitions. Granted, I got over it after a few scenes, but the very nature of this story makes it difficult to keep the flow even throughout.
Patel, along with his young counterpart, Sunny Pawar, are terrific. As a first time actor, Pawar, had to take on an entire first act by himself, and you'd think he'd been doing this for years already. It's unlikely he'll come close to winning, but he should be considered for best supporting actor. You can't find that much charisma at that age easily.
When Lion hits emotionally, it really hits. I think it's the time in between that takes the overall quality of the film down a notch. Some sporadic pacing and a story that calls for a wandering plot makes for a mediocre experience. But when the film chooses to sink your teeth into an extremely engrossing journey into what it feels like to be lost, it contains some of the most emotionally impactful sequences. The last shot says it all. I just wish it wasn't so few and far between.
+Some heavy, heavy stuff here
+Pawar is a young star
+A Journey worth taking
-Pacing
-Story sometimes strays away from where it should stay
7.8/10